Luckiest Souls
by HeatherC12
Summary: When life deals you lemons, you're supposed to make lemonade, but how do you do that when you have so much to overcome? This Dawsey story is told in a way similar to the show "This Is Us" and will start in their 'present day' and then each chapter will go back in time to fill in the highs and lows of their life together. This story is dedicated to all my fellow Dawsey fans.
1. Chapter 1

**Luckiest Souls**

 _So, this is a different type of Dawsey story than my last one and I'm hopeful that it will help fill the void that Dawsey fans are still feeling from not having Monica be part of CF this season. This one takes place in the summer of 2029, which will be the 'present' time period for the story, and the title is taken from part of Matt's speech to Gabby at their wedding reception in S5 ("…as long as we do it together, we're the luckiest souls around"). After introducing this time period in the first chapter, the next batch of chapters will go back in time and fill in the story of how they got to that point in their life together. The storytelling style is modelled after the show This Is Us (that show jumps around in time periods to tell the story of the Pearson family) and hopefully it will make you laugh, cry, gasp, swoon, and overall just be an enjoyable experience. Please let me know what you think and without further ado, here is chapter number one! =)_

* * *

 _ **July 2029**_

Gabriela Casey stood next to her kitchen island while staring intently at her fridge contents. She frowned as she tried to decide how many juice boxes to put in the soft sided cooler that was sitting on the island. They were only going to be gone for the day but not knowing what food or drinks were going to be available, she didn't want to run out of anything while they were out. She finally took out four juice boxes along with two containers of various vegetables and meats & cheeses and put those into the cooler.

She was getting some ice packs from the freezer when she saw a bit of fur out of the corner of her eye. She looked over just in time to see their cat Carson snooping into the cooler. She laughed as she put the ice packs into the cooler and moved the cat to the floor. She patted Carson's head as she lightly scolded her, "I know you love to be all curious but this is human food, not cat food, so you need to get your cute little nose out of the cooler."

Carson looked up with curious eyes and gave Gabby a pathetic "meow" before eventually moving away and laying down on the other side of the kitchen. Gabby laughed at her sweet but always ornery cat and zipped the cooler up. She walked over to put it on the kitchen table and then heard a young male voice off to her left.

"Mommy, can I take my remote-control truck to the picnic?" asked six-year-old Andrew as he came into the kitchen. He was holding a giant monster truck that was his current favorite toy after getting it for his birthday earlier in the year.

"Do you remember what your daddy and I told you and your sister about this picnic?" Gabby asked him as she looked through the contents of her other picnic bag. Content with what she saw in there, she turned to her son and waited for his answer.

He thought for a moment and then said, "That we should take our backpacks with some toys in them."

"That's right," Gabby said as she moved the bag down to a chair. "We also said to keep the toys limited to what would fit in the backpack, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Andrew said sheepishly. Gabby smiled. He knew where this was going. He looked up at her again, "This truck won't go in my backpack."

Gabby leaned down to his level and gave him a smile as she talked to him again, "You got it buddy. I know you love this truck. Daddy worked hard to find that present for you and it makes him happy that you play with it so much, but it's way too big to take to this picnic."

"Okay," the little boy said as he gave his mom an adorably lopsided grin. He hugged his truck close but understood that taking a huge toy with them today was out of the question. Andrew was about to leave the kitchen when Gabby suddenly had an idea.

"How about taking your smaller truck that does all the tricks?" Gabby asked. "That one would fit in your backpack and with all the grassy areas at the park, you might be able to do some cool tricks with it there."

"Oh, that would be fun!" Andrew said excitedly. He didn't really care which truck he took because he thought they were all great. "I can take that one. Thanks mommy!"

"You're welcome baby," Gabby said smiling. Her son was such a sweet little guy and reminded her more and more of her husband every day. He seemed to pick up a new characteristic from his daddy every other month. Andrew ran up the stairs to get his backpack together and Gabby turned her attention back to the cooler to make sure she had everything set from the kitchen.

She stopped for a moment as she looked back at the fridge doors. The invitation to the picnic was being held there with one of her magnets from Puerto Rico. She stared at the words on the paper and shook her head. This picnic was an official Chicago Fire Department event to celebrate and honor three of the chiefs who were retiring in the fall. She didn't know the other two chiefs very well but she certainly knew the third one. She and her husband Matt knew him quite well.

Her former chief, Wallace Boden, was one of the men retiring in September after serving in the CFD for 30 years. She and Matt had both served with him and he was one of their most cherished friends. Matt had actually been asked to speak for him at the picnic which he viewed as a huge honor. The last time she had checked on him that morning, he was working on his speech and even though it was making him nervous, she knew there was no one better to speak on Boden's behalf than Matt.

A small cry from the family room, where Matt was supposedly working on his speech, suddenly got Gabby's attention. She walked over to the landing to look down at the lower level of their tri-level house (where their family room and the kids playroom were located) and smiled at the scene in front of her. Matt was kneeling in the playroom with their almost four-year-old daughter Becca and he was holding about eight coloring books. She listened to the conversation between her husband and their little girl who was obviously not happy.

"Honey, all of these books won't fit in your backpack," Matt said patiently. "It will also make the bag too heavy. Can you pick just a couple of them to take with you?"

"But I wanna take all of them," Becca said looking up at her dad with pleading eyes. She loved to color and went through books so fast that there were three shelves full of them in the kids playroom. Matt knew asking her to just pick one or two was hard for her but he also knew he was asking for trouble if she took too much stuff with her.

"I don't think there'll be time for you to color in all of them though," Matt said to the little girl. "There's gonna be games and food and other kids to play with there. You may not do any coloring because you'll be too busy."

"I still wanna take some though daddy," the little girl said sadly. She looked up at Matt with an adorable pleading face and Gabby knew he was going to be putty in her hands soon. She was such a daddy's girl and had him wrapped around her little finger.

"How about this sweet girl," Matt said as he spread the books out on their playroom table and finally adjusted his glasses which had slipped down his nose. "Why don't you take your princess coloring book, which I know is one of your favorites, and your Peanuts activity book, so you can do some of the activities if you don't want to color, and then you'll have two good options if you have free time at the picnic. Then we can pack your twistable crayons along with a few pencils so you have everything you need for your books."

"OK daddy," Becca said after thinking about it for a moment. "Help me to put them in my bag please?"

"Of course," Matt said as he smiled at his baby girl. The two of them worked together to fill Becca's backpack and then he sent her upstairs to finish getting a few things from her room. As he came up the stairs, he noticed his wife watching from the main level of the house and joined her in the kitchen. The couple chuckled at the drama of their two children while being silently thankful for some easy life decisions for once.

"How's the speech coming babe?" Gabby asked her husband as she leaned against the counter near the sink.

Matt shrugged, "It's…there. Every time I try to write something, it doesn't come out right. I'm trying to speak from the heart and instead it ends up sounding…"

"Contrived? Insincere? Dorky?" Gabby offered with a half grin and Matt laughed at her accuracy. She wasn't too far off with those guesses.

"Something like that," he said smiling. He leaned against the island across from her and crossed his arms. "It's so weird. I give speeches to firehouses all the time. It's like second nature to me now and yet I can't figure out what to say about the man who's been a friend and mentor to me for most of my career."

Gabby walked over to Matt and put her arms around his waist to pull them closer together. She smiled at her handsome husband, "You'll figure something out. I think it'll come to you once you see him at the picnic."

"Yeah," Matt said as he rubbed Gabby's back. "It's been way too long since we've seen him, Donna, Terrance, and Melanie. I think it'll be great to spend time with them today."

"And everyone else too," Gabby added. "I can't believe how long it's been since we've seen all those guys. How did that happen?"

"Life," Matt said as he pulled Gabby into a hug. "How does that one phrase go…life happens when you're busy making other plans…something like that?"

Gabby nodded as she rested her head on Matt's chest, "Yeah, it's something like that. I'm glad we'll get to see everyone today. It has been way too long."

The couple remained comfortable in their warm hug until they heard little feet heading down the stairs. Gabby turned slightly to see their two little ones hop off the stairs and head towards the kitchen. They broke apart then and smiled at their two little miracles.

"Ready to go!" announced Andrew as he held up his backpack and put his baseball cap on. Becca bounced in a circle to show off her backpack which made Gabby and Matt laugh at their daughter's excitement. Gabby stopped laughing when she noticed her son's shoes.

"Um, baby?" she asked the little boy, "Why do you have two different flip flops on?"

Andrew smiled as he held up one foot, "It's a new style mommy. All the kids at camp wear two different flip flops now. It's fun!"

Matt and Gabby exchanged a look. Since when does a six-year-old care about what's in style? Matt turned to his son, "OK, I don't really have a problem if you want to be 'in style', but this is a big event for your mommy and I so it would be really helpful to us if you could wear matching shoes today."

Andrew pouted for a moment but after seeing both of his parents pleading with their eyes for him to go change his footwear, he sighed, dropped his backpack on the floor, and ran upstairs to change shoes. Matt was relieved that Andrew didn't put up a fight but wondered what parent from his son's group at camp was okay with their kid walking around in two different shoes.

Just then, Becca proudly held up one of her feet and said, "Look daddy, both of my sandals match. I did good job, right?"

"Yes, you sure did princess," Matt said grinning. Becca smiled back at both her parents and danced around the kitchen while the two adults chuckled again at their daughter's energy. Matt went back to the family room to get what he needed for the picnic while Gabby finished packing her other picnic bag. As he returned to the kitchen, Becca turned to her daddy with a question.

"Daddy, will I know people at the picnic?" she asked him as she sat patting Carson on the head. The cat was purring as she enjoyed the attention from the youngest Casey family member. Carson was so good with both of the kids and they adored her too.

"Well," Matt said as he put his folder down on the kitchen table and his CFD chief baseball hat on. "Most of them know you but I don't think you'll remember them. You were pretty little the last time we saw most of them."

"How little was I?" Becca asked him. Matt and Gabby thought for a moment before realizing that she had still been a baby the last time they saw most of their friends from the CFD. Had that much time really passed? Matt shook his head as he turned to answer his daughter.

"You were just a baby, sweet girl," Matt said as he leaned down and nearly lost his glasses in the process. He fixed them as he spoke to his daughter again, "The last time we were all together was at my chief ceremony. Andrew was about three and you were only nine months old. They saw you there but I don't expect you to remember them."

"Oh okay," Becca said. "Will they like me?"

Gabby and Matt smiled at their daughter's innocent question. She was such a people pleaser and loved to help others, very much like both of her parents, and has never met a stranger that she couldn't turn into a friend. They had to watch her like a hawk sometimes because of how chatty and friendly she could be with others.

"They loved you then and I think they'll love you even more now," Gabby said which made the little girl's eyes shine. "Some of them are coming to your birthday party next week so you can get to know them more then too."

"Oh wow!" Becca exclaimed as she stood up. "My party will be extra fun!"

Matt and Gabby exchanged a smile and then saw Andrew return to the kitchen. He not only had matching shoes on now, they were a completely different set of sandals and not either of the flip flops that he had been wearing just a few minutes ago. They exchanged another look as Matt asked his son about it, "What happened to your flip flops buddy?"

"I thought about all the fun stuff you said was gonna be there and decided to wear these instead. I don't wanna fall again," Andrew said as he held up a foot. He had inherited clumsiness from someone, Gabby and Matt weren't sure who since neither of them were all that clutzy, so he'd gotten a few bumps and bruises that summer from running around and falling in his flip flops. The last thing the little boy wanted was to fall in front of all those people.

"That's fine baby," Gabby said smiling. She turned to her husband, "I guess this means we're ready to go?"

"Looks like it," Matt said as he grabbed his CFD folder and slipped his phone into his shorts pocket. "Are you both ready for a fun picnic?"

"YES!" screamed both kids as they jumped up and down. Matt and Gabby laughed as the sudden noise made the cat take off for the safety of the family room. Matt grabbed his keys and the cooler while Gabby picked up the other bag and made sure she had her sunglasses. The kids led the way as the family headed downstairs towards their garage. Andrew and Becca excitedly chatted about the bouncy house and their hope that there was also an obstacle course one while Matt opened the garage door for everyone.

They got the kids settled into seats in their SUV and put the cooler and picnic bag on the floor in front of each of them. The kids chatted away as Gabby and Matt took their respective seats in the front. Matt turned the car on, hit the garage door button to open the door, and made sure to get the A/C going since it was already hot and humid outside. As they waited for the car to cool off, Matt put on his seat belt and then looked over at his wife who was checking both of the kids before putting her own seat belt on. Both of them were a little anxious about seeing everyone again. Gabby noticed him looking over at her and smiled back at him.

"You ready for this?" Gabby asked her husband with a cock of her head.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Matt said as he reached over to hold her hand. His thumb rested on her engagement and wedding rings for a moment and they exchanged a loving look. Time may have passed but their love was stronger than ever. Matt took her hand and gave it a kiss before putting the car into gear to get underway. Gabby patted his knee as he hit the garage door button again to close it. Soon they were on their way.

Gabby settled into her seat to get more comfortable for the 45-minute drive into the city. She looked again at Matt and then looked back at her two angels in the backseat. Time hadn't always been kind to them over the years but she knew she wouldn't trade her life for anything. The difficult moments had been hard but it also helped make them the people they were today. She thought then about how far they'd come together and grew quiet. Their life together really had been quite the adventure…

* * *

 _All right, what do you guys think? Are you happy to see Dawsey with a family? Are you wondering why they haven't seen their CFD friends in a while? Do you have a million other questions? I hope you do because most of the next chapters in the story are designed to answer all those questions and also give you even more to think about as you find out how Dawsey got to this point in their life together. I'm actually very excited to tell this story and I hope you're all ready to go on this journey with me!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks so much for all the great feedback and encouragement about this story! I'm glad you guys are intrigued by the concept and want to read more. This chapter should answer one big question for you guys regarding Puerto Rico and for the record, I actually wrote the majority of this chapter prior to S7 of the show starting so anything that sounds similar to something that happens on the show is just a crazy coincidence. Please let me know what you guys think! =)_

* * *

 _ **May 2019**_

Matt sighed as he finished writing up a report from a recent call and sat back in his desk chair. It had been a busy shift for firehouse 51 but he didn't mind. It kept his mind off missing his wife, Gabby Dawson, who was away working with a CFD task force in Puerto Rico. She'd been there for over eight months but would soon be coming home from her assignment which made him incredibly happy. He looked at a picture of them that he had on his desk and smiled. He'd been missing her so much but it was going to be amazing having her home again.

It hadn't been an easy time for them both before and while she was gone. They'd been trying to have a baby all those months ago but ended up getting news from their doctor that Gabby had an abdominal aneurysm from her previous miscarriage which made carrying a baby now a hazard to her health. They hadn't handled the news well at all. They started fighting over what their next step should be (he wanted to adopt, she wanted no part of that and wanted to have a baby anyway no matter the health risks to herself), they weren't talking through any of their emotions, and the overall stress caused both of them so much pain.

Gabby never figured out how to handle the situation, and was tired of fighting with her husband, so she decided to take the Puerto Rico task force job offer to clear her mind and find some peace for herself. The conversation she and Matt had before she left was so heartbreaking. He couldn't understand how being away from him was going to help her or be good for them as a couple and she couldn't understand why he didn't see how much she was hurting from the baby news. They parted on sad terms and barely talked for over two months.

Matt spent most of those first two months alone. He didn't really want to talk to anyone about what was going on between him and Gabby and he refused every single offer that came his way from his friends. He kept himself busy by taking on extra construction jobs and spending more time working on his captain's paperwork. He finally had a long talk with his boss, Chief Wallace Boden, when his heart was hurting so much that it started affecting his work. The chief encouraged him to take matters into his own hands and if he wanted some answers from Gabby, he needed to go to her if she wasn't ready to come home.

Matt took those words to heart and came up with a plan. He contacted Gabby's superior officer on the task force to find out her address in San Juan, put in a furlough request for a week of time off, and hopped on a plane to Puerto Rico. When Gabby got off work one Friday evening, he was waiting for her on her apartment porch. She was carrying groceries at the time and she dropped the bags all over the sidewalk when she saw her husband standing outside her apartment. She burst into tears and jumped into his arms and they both cried tears of happiness at being together again.

They spent the entire weekend talking about their relationship and the baby situation, the tension finally broken between them once he showed up on her doorstep, and also did the one thing that they should have done months ago…they cried. They finally let all their emotions out and mourned for their lost opportunity for her to carry their child. It was raw, painful, heartbreaking, and necessary for them to finally move past their pain.

The weekend proved to be therapeutic and hopeful for Gabby and Matt and they were able to enjoy the rest of their week together. The task force gave her some time off to spend with her husband which she greatly appreciated. The two of them did some sightseeing around old San Juan, toured the large rain forest, and tried some water activities including paddle boarding, snorkeling, and kayaking. They had an amazing time and by the time Matt had to head back to Chicago, their relationship was well on it's way towards repair and healing.

They continued to work hard and keep talking about things while they were apart. She was able to return to Chicago for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holiday which was a big help to their healing relationship as it gave them extra time together. They enjoyed celebrating the holidays with their friends and family and Gabby was finally able to repair her friendship with Sylvie (they had been on bad terms when she left for Puerto Rico and had spoken very little while she was gone).

The winter was long and lonely for the couple since they were apart for most of it and Matt decided to surprise her again, this time for Valentine's Day. He arranged some time off for her from the task force work with her chief in San Juan and came down to Puerto Rico again for a visit but this time, he had another plan. He swept her away to St. Croix for a very belated honeymoon at an all-inclusive resort. They enjoyed all the water activities (and decided that someday they wanted to get scuba certified), the food at their resort was excellent, and most of all, they enjoyed some much-needed romantic time.

Matt smiled at the picture on his desk, it was a picture of them in St. Croix, and felt so grateful that they'd been able to work through their problems. They still had to deal with the whole baby situation but they were planning to look at all their options once she got home so they could make the best decision for them as a couple. They knew they needed to make this choice together.

Matt's thoughts were interrupted by the alarm bells going off. He listened for the announcement to find out if he needed to respond: _"Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, Battalion 25…apartment building fire…."_ He stopped listening at that point knowing that he was required to respond and quickly put his report folder away. Before leaving his office, he took a quick look around his quarters, not for any particular reason, and his eyes landed once again on that picture of him and Gabby on his desk. He grinned at the image and thought once again of how soon she was going to be home. After giving the room one more quick glance, he rushed off to join his men on Truck 81 hoping for a quick return to the firehouse after the call.

* * *

Gabby sat in her seat on the plane and looked once again at her watch. Couldn't this plane go any faster? She was so impatient, it had been a long few days for her, and she knew her nerves were already shot even before she got home to Chicago. Things weren't supposed to go this way…not for them.

She hadn't meant to hurt him when she left. She was just so heart broken and didn't know how to make the pain go away while in Chicago. She hated fighting with Matt, they never fought the way they had after they got that baby news, so she took the first opportunity that came her way to get out of the city and try to get her head back together. She wasn't thinking straight, she was barely thinking at all, and once she'd arrived in Puerto Rico, the enormity of what she'd done hit her full force.

She hadn't blamed him for not being able to talk to her when she tried to call or text him those first few weeks. She could barely talk to him as well but she didn't want him to think she'd just up and abandoned him so she kept calling and texting even though they never got anywhere. He was broken…she was broken…and they just couldn't find a way to connect over their shared pain and it caused a rift in their relationship.

She really wasn't running from him…she was running from the pain she had in her heart. No one could ever understand how much it had hurt her to hear a doctor tell her that she shouldn't carry a baby because it would be too dangerous for her. That's all Matt had ever wanted…to have a family…and this doctor had just rocked their world with their worst-case scenario. What kind of wife was she if she couldn't even give her husband his greatest wish?

Over two months went by and Gabby couldn't get past her pain, but she hid it so well that her fellow coworkers on the task force never knew that she was hurting so much. She was quieter than she'd ever been while working there and she felt a little more lost every day that she was apart from Matt. As much as they hadn't been able to talk, she missed him so much and wanted badly to tell him what was going on in her head and heart. He had always been her best friend and part of the lost feeling was that he wasn't there with her.

She was feeling particularly heartbroken one Friday evening, it had been a long day of work for her, when she got the shock of her life upon returning home. Matt was sitting on her porch with his suitcase, a bouquet of flowers, and a look of pure love and hope on his face. She had dropped her grocery bags all over the sidewalk and the tension that had been building between them for months melted away as they jumped into a tight embrace.

Her world completely changed after Matt showed up in Puerto Rico. They were finally able to talk to each other again and for the first time, they were able to open up and be honest about their painful situation. They spent that entire trip talking, crying, and supporting each other as they started the slow process of repairing the damage that those few months of uncertainty had done to their relationship.

Gabby smiled in spite of her current anxiety as she remembered Matt's first trip to see her in Puerto Rico. If he hadn't taken that big leap of faith and showed up at her apartment, she was pretty sure their relationship would have fallen apart and the thought of that happening made her shiver. Their relationship had grown stronger every time they saw each other through the rest of her time away and their trip to St. Croix had been simply magical. They'd finally gotten to have a honeymoon after not getting one when they first got married. Life was on it's way to being amazing for them again and her permanent return to Chicago was coming up too which had made them both so happy.

The gentle landing of the plane shook Gabby out of her daydream and rudely reminded her of the present. The pilot came on the intercom giving them the current time, weather, and gate updates for Chicago and Gabby's anxiety came back to the pit of her stomach. She had arranged a ride with Lyft and alerted her driver that the plane had landed so he could be ready to pick her up. After the plane was secured at the gate, Gabby gathered up her things and eventually made her way out of the airport to face the most difficult thing she might ever have to do.

She'd been away working at a remote area of Puerto Rico when the information got to her. Chief Boden had been trying to call her for three days and he finally had to call the task force administrator to get in touch with her. When she returned to the task force headquarters and finally got the news, she felt like the world had just crashed down on her.

It was a freak accident. The apartment fire wasn't anything out of the ordinary for Truck 81 but while in the building, Boden noticed that something wasn't right with the roof and ordered all his men out. The guys all reacted quickly to Boden's order and Matt was making sure all his guys got out ahead of him when he heard a sudden noise. The last of his men had just left through the hallway when his world suddenly went black. The roof had caved in, taking two floors with it, and had landed right on top of him. He was half buried in charred and fire ridden rubble and his gear was damaged leaving him vulnerable and unconscious.

Squad 3 had been ordered in to retrieve their fallen friend and barely him got out of the building before the entire structure collapsed around them. They were relieved that they got their friend out but the damage had been done and Matt was badly hurt. The ambulance rushed him to Med but his overall prognosis wasn't good. His gear had kept him from getting too burned, although he got some burns in a few exposed areas, but the other injuries were pretty severe. He had several broken bones that were going to require surgery, internal bleeding, and a head injury that they didn't know the extent of since he was in a coma. Everyone was worried about him and it didn't look good.

Gabby finally arrived at Med and immediately felt her anxiety go up as she looked at the door to the hospital. She walked in timidly while looking around for someone she knew and saw Nurse Maggie behind the desk. Maggie's face immediately softened as she saw her friend walk towards her. Gabby struggled to find her voice, "I know it's late and…visiting hours are probably over...but I couldn't get an earlier flight and I got dropped off here still hoping I could see…"

"Girl, I got you," Maggie said as she came out from behind the desk. "You're all right. I'm gonna take you to him right now. Follow me."

Maggie led Gabby down a hallway towards the ICU while giving her an update on Matt's condition but Gabby was barely paying attention to her. All she wanted was to see her husband and hold him close to her. She couldn't believe she'd spent so much time away from him. She couldn't get that time back and now he was clinging to life alone in a hospital bed and she hadn't been by his side. Her heart hurt more and more the closer they got to his room.

Maggie stopped at Matt's room and gave Gabby a big hug before opening the door and leaving so that Gabby could have some alone time with him. She entered the room and gasped at the sight in front of her. Matt was hooked up to all sorts of equipment, his left arm was in a cast, his left leg was in traction, the left side of his face was bandaged up, and his overall complexion was extremely pale. He looked so small laying helplessly on the hospital bed and Gabby's heart broke seeing her strong, handsome husband this way.

She slowly walked towards the bed while trying to come up with something to say to him. She knew that people in comas could hear things from their loved ones even though they couldn't respond but she had nothing. Her mind was a jumble of emotions and sadness without any coherent thoughts and she felt herself shaking. She sat down gently on the side of the bed away from his injured side and held his right hand while still trying to come up with something to say to him. She finally came up with something and could barely get the words out.

"You promised to keep your badge off the wall."

After uttering those words to this man that she loved with all her heart, she finally collapsed into tears and laid her herself gently on his chest. She ended up sobbing herself to sleep while listening to his heartbeat and holding his hand. Their story wasn't supposed to go this way.

* * *

Maggie and Dr. Conner Rhodes came running down the hallway towards Matt Casey's room. A nurse had called them when she saw that Matt's vitals had dramatically changed and they were worried that the worst had finally happened. As they approached the room, the nurse was waiting with anxious eyes. She handed them his chart and opened the door for them. They entered the room and couldn't believe what they saw in front of them.

Gabby was sound asleep and still resting on Matt's chest but his stats had improved by leaps and bounds since the previous evening's tests and his breathing was easy and normal. They looked closer and saw that his right hand was resting on Gabby's left arm and his eyes were half open as he was clearly trying to process what was going on around him.

Dr. Rhodes immediately woke up Gabby to get her off Matt's chest and along with Maggie, they started checking his vitals while Gabby stood to the side bewildered and half awake. Then she noticed Matt's eyes were open and gasped in shock. Her emotions went into overdrive again and she felt like she was hyperventilating as she tried to process what was going on. She stayed out of the doctor's way but got closer to the bed so she could talk to him.

"MATT?! Oh my God, Matt? Can you hear me?" she shrieked without even realizing that she had spoken so loudly. He looked over to her and reached his hand out to her. She grabbed onto it and kissed it before holding it to her face while half laughing and half crying at this unexpected turn of events.

Dr. Rhodes was completely overwhelmed by what he was seeing and decided to remove Matt's intubation since his breathing had improved enough. Once he and Maggie did that, the doctor asked Matt how he was feeling. They all chuckled when he said that he felt like a building had fallen on him. After being satisfied with Matt's status, the two medical staff members decided to give the couple some privacy since they'd been apart for so long. Maggie dragged a chair over for Gabby to sit on since she could tell her legs were about to give out on her and then the two of them left the room.

Gabby ignored the chair and moved back over to sit on the bed. Matt was still trying to figure out what all had happened to him but he was thrilled to see his wife next to him. They stared at each other for a while, Gabby gently stroking his face with her hand, until they finally just smiled like teenagers as it sunk in that they were finally reunited at home in Chicago after her long assignment. He took her hand in his and gathered up the energy to say something to her.

"I'm so glad you're here," he said quietly while holding her hand. "I was waiting for you to get here and part of me thought you weren't coming."

"I was away from the home base for a while," Gabby said sadly as she held his hand, "it took Chief a few days to find me. I would have been here sooner if I hadn't been assigned away for those few days. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you first got hurt. You know I would have been."

"It's okay," Matt said smiling. "You're here now and that's all that matters."

"I…I thought I was gonna lose you," Gabby said shakily. "They weren't very encouraging about your condition. You're hurt pretty bad babe."

"I don't feel great," he admitted with a grimace. "I was waiting for you because I knew I didn't have enough strength on my own to wake up. I needed to draw some from my amazing wife."

"They talked like you were waiting for me to get here before you passed away," Gabby said quietly as some tears formed in her eyes. "I didn't want to believe it but you scared me so badly last night. Even when you got trapped in that burning warehouse and said your goodbyes to me on the walkie talkie years ago wasn't as bad as last night was for me."

"I'm sorry," Matt said as he continued to hold her hand. "I wasn't about to break my promise to you though."

"Your promise?" Gabby said slightly confused. She didn't remember any recent promises that he'd made to her. The one she was referencing when she spoke to him the previous night had been made before they'd gotten married.

"That I'd always come back to you," he said quietly with a shy smile. Gabby melted at remembering that promise he'd made to her almost two years ago after his recovery from the warehouse accident. She smiled back at him and then rested her head on his chest as he hugged her close to him with his good arm. Their story wasn't over after all and she would never stop being grateful for that.

* * *

 _So, are you still with me regarding this story? Sorry to scare you with Matt's bad accident but I had to get Gabby home somehow, LOL ;) Anyway, I hope you're still with me because there's a lot more to come and I can't wait to bring it to you. Thanks so much for your support! =)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks again for all the great feedback and encouragement about this story. I don't know how many of you watched the CF season premiere this past week but it really hit me hard even though I loved seeing Monica again. I don't plan to watch the show live after the crossover event (I may watch it on demand if something I want to see happens) but the ending of Dawsey and the rest of the ep being more boring than I anticipated has made me not want to watch it right now. I also don't like having all three shows on one night so I will only be watching CPD live and the other two I will watch online when I feel like it. Anyway, all that being said, I'm still having the greatest time writing Dawsey in a way that the show never did and I love that you all are still willing to go on this journey with me. Hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter and I'd love to know what you think! =)_

* * *

 _ **Summer 2019**_

Matt yawned and attempted to stretch out his aching muscles but several casts and an arm sling kept him from moving around too much. His hospital bed wasn't all that uncomfortable but it wasn't his big, comfortable bed at home either. He had been stuck in the hospital for well over a month while healing from his injuries and all he wanted was to go home, but he knew that wasn't a possibility, at least for a while, because he still had a lot of healing to do.

His injuries had been extremely severe and the doctors had said multiple times that he was very lucky just to be alive. Not long after waking up from his coma, the doctors reevaluated his status and planned out the three other surgeries he needed to have in order to begin his full recovery. They'd already operated on his internal injuries but he'd also needed surgery to fix his shoulder, the three places in his left arm that were broken, and all the injuries to his leg and pelvis. They fixed the shoulder and arm injuries at the same time and just two weeks ago, they had fixed his broken pelvis and reset the bones that were broken in his leg. He couldn't remember what it was like to not have a cast or what it felt like to walk so he knew his recovery was going to be long, painful, and difficult. He couldn't help being anxious about how he was going to get through this and recover from all the injuries but he also felt optimistic that he would get back on his feet at some point.

Matt looked over at the rollaway bed that had been placed in his room and saw that Gabby was still sound asleep. Once they'd figured out that he was going to be in the hospital for a while, they'd arranged to have the bed and an extra nightstand in the room so she could be comfortable while she stayed with him. She had been adamant about being with him as often as possible through his surgeries and recovery so Matt was grateful that Med had made things comfortable for her.

Matt quietly shifted in his bed, he didn't want to wake up his wife, and turned on the TV to watch something while he waited for breakfast to be brought to his room. He blinked a bit at the brightness of the screen and eventually turned the level down so it was less harsh to his eyes. His head injuries weren't evaluated as that severe (he'd had a concussion and some bruises but his brain function overall was okay) but he'd been struggling with random migraines due to the bright lights so they kept the overhead lights turned off and only kept the side light at the desk and the lamp that was on the nightstand by Gabby's bed on so that he could be more comfortable in his room. It had only been about two weeks that he was even able to watch TV and sometimes, like today, he still had to fix the brightness so as not to hurt his head. He was hopeful that this was temporary because it was irritating as heck to not be able to see much in his room.

His headaches had also limited the number of visitors he was able to have while healing which had kept quite a few people from visiting him in the hospital. This was especially unfortunate since his friends at the firehouse were anxious to see him and Matt really wanted to see his firehouse family as well. His sister Christy, niece Violet and his mom, Gabby's brother Antonio along with her parents, and Chief Boden were the only visitors they'd allowed Matt to have and they hadn't been allowed to stay very long so he was getting a bit lonely, although he loved and appreciated having Gabby with him all the time. That helped him a lot and the friends he had that worked at Med liked to stop by and spend time with him too.

Breakfast was eventually brought to his room, they always sent extra food so that Gabby had something to eat too, and she woke up when she heard them moving around with their food. The couple enjoyed breakfast together over casual conversation while they waited for the nurse to make the morning rounds. Someone always came to check his vitals after breakfast and nurse April didn't disappoint them. She stopped by right after Gabby had moved the food tray to the side table and thankfully everything looked good. She chatted with the couple for a while about how things were going with the rest of the hospital and then made her way out to give them some privacy.

Later that morning, Gabby was snuggled up next to Matt on the bed watching House Hunters with him when Dr. Rhodes came by to check on him. She moved over to the chair next to the bed as Matt turned off the TV. Dr. Rhodes wasn't his primary doctor but had been kept informed about Matt's progress since his last surgery and was still part of his overall health care team. He greeted the couple with a smile and sat down on the stool to the side of the bed.

"How are you feeling today Matt?" He asked as he glanced at Matt's chart on his tablet.

"All right," Matt said. "I've definitely been better but dealing with pain and being uncomfortable is better than the alternative."

Gabby and Dr. Rhodes laughed as Matt smiled at them. His body was struggling with the recovery process but he was trying hard not to lose his spirit or his sense of humor. Gabby reached over and took his hand which he squeezed back.

"Well, hopefully from here on out, things will only get better," Dr. Rhodes said with confidence. "It looks like we've fixed everything we can surgically so now we can focus on making sure we get you recovered and back on your feet."

"And back at my firehouse," Matt said nodding. He was determined to get healed enough to get back to his job as captain of firehouse 51. Dr. Rhodes and Gabby exchanged a look. They would just be happy to see him walk again and here he is wanting to run back into burning buildings.

"How about we start with getting you home from the hospital?" Dr. Rhodes asked with a small smile. "Your recovery is going to have a lot of steps and no matter how much you want to, you really can't start at step 25 and expect progress."

Matt sighed and Gabby patted his arm. She knew he was frustrated and wanted to get back to his life sooner rather than later but this was going to take some time and he needed to have some patience in order to get his body back to its old self. His body wasn't going to heal overnight. The couple exchanged a tender look and after Dr. Rhodes saw Matt's frustration getting him down again, he decided to give them some good news.

"I do have some good news for you guys if you're interested," he said with a smile.

"Absolutely," Gabby said as Matt perked up slightly. "What is it?"

"Well," Dr. Rhodes began, "We talked about your progress during rounds today and the entire medical staff agreed that, if you're feeling up for it, you might be ready to have more visitors. I think the worst of your symptoms are in the past and as long as you don't feel too overwhelmed, we'd like to start by allowing your coworkers from the firehouse to come visit you today."

"Really?" Matt said sitting up more. "That would be great. I've missed everyone and I know they've been anxious to visit both me and Gabby."

"That would be fantastic Dr. Rhodes," Gabby agreed and giving Matt's hand another squeeze. That was great news for them. The doctor said that everyone was scheduled to come by around 3 PM and they were allowed to stay through dinner at 6 PM as long as he felt up for that long of a visit. Matt thought he would be fine and was thrilled that his friends were finally going to be able to visit him.

* * *

Gabby leaned back for a second to look at her handiwork but wasn't satisfied with what she saw in front of her. She was trying to help Matt get ready to see their firehouse family but she couldn't get his hair to do anything but go in about a hundred different directions. She'd been able to help him shave, clean up, and change clothes but the hair was a problem. Matt saw her frown and chuckled at how seriously she was taking his hair issues.

"I know you want me to look good babe but is my hair really that bad?" Matt said with a smirk on his face. She gave him a look and he sheepishly smiled back at her with a shrug. "I'm sure the guys aren't gonna care how weird my hair looks today. They just want to spend time with me…and you for that matter."

"Yeah," Gabby said sighing, "I get that but we really need to get the barber in here soon. If I have to help you comb this mop of hair for a while, then it's gotta be more under control so else it will drive me nuts being this long."

"Buzz it off," Matt said laughing, "then it won't be an issue for either of us because I won't have much of anything there."

Gabby laughed and gave him a playful swat as she looked once again at his unruly hair. Honestly, she didn't really care how short or long his hair was because the alternative was her getting his body ready for a funeral and that thought still sent shivers down her spine. She would gladly give him a manbun if he wanted it because she was so thankful that he was still with her. Finally satisfied that his hair looked as good as it could at its current length, Gabby put the comb away and then sat down on the side of his bed.

The couple was sharing a quiet conversation about their families when April poked her head into the room and asked if they were ready for their visitors. Matt smiled and nodded at the nurse as Gabby stood up and got herself ready for the hugs. She hadn't really gotten a chance to spend much time with their firehouse family since she'd been home due to being by Matt's side so she was excited to see them as well.

Soon the hospital room was filled with the couple's firehouse family and the hugs and excitement went on for quite some time as everyone gushed over Matt's recovery and their happiness that Gabby was finally home. Matt was thrilled to see everyone and he was especially happy to see Gabby share a big hug with Sylvie Brett. Those two hadn't been on great terms when Gabby left but he knew they were working on repairing their friendship so this was a good sign for them.

The hospital staff found some extra chairs for everyone and soon the room was filled with laughter and talking as everyone got caught up with Matt and Gabby. Herrmann and Cindy entertained the couple with stories of their ornery children, Severide and Stella were still going strong and anxious to have a double date with Matt and Gabby (even if it was just coming over to their apartment for take-out dinner), Otis and Cruz were in the middle of some prank with a few of the first shift guys which made Matt laugh since they'd been in the middle of that same prank during the rescue when he got injured, Mouch was looking forward to an Alaskan vacation with his wife Trudy in the next few weeks, Boden was still struggling with Grissom but there were definite cracks forming at headquarters with regards to Grissom's abilities and previous job experience, Sylvie didn't have much to say but admitted that Matt's accident had really scared her and she was very thankful that he was okay, and Tony and Capp had both signed up for online dating and shared some funny stories about recent dates that hadn't gone well.

The conversation eventually turned to everyone wanting to hear more about Gabby's experiences in Puerto Rico so she shared some of her stories from the areas on the island that the team had helped, the wonderful people that she'd met, and how satisfying it was to be part of such a big relief effort. She made sure to let them all know that even though she loved the work that she'd done there, she really was thrilled to be home again. Matt couldn't stop smiling as she was talking because as much as he'd missed her, he was also insanely proud of her. Her passion to help others was one of the things he loved most about her.

After a quick visit from April to check his vitals, the guys finally got brave enough to ask Matt about his injuries and recovery. He and Gabby took turns getting them up to date on his status with Gabby taking more of the lead on what surgeries he'd had done and the timeframe for his full recovery. Matt decided to be honest with them about how he was feeling so he told them about how achy and tired he felt pretty much all the time, the headaches and light sensitivity that had prevented him from having more visitors while he was stuck in the hospital, how frustrating it was that he couldn't do much to take care of himself right now, and that his ultimate goal was to get back to the firehouse and resume his captain duties. The guys were happy to hear that Matt wanted to return to work and they took turns giving him encouragement and offering to help him with his recovery.

After all the conversation and excitement (and a big dinner of pizza which had been approved by Dr. Rhodes), Gabby could tell that Matt was getting tired so she decided to end the big visit with everyone and reminded them that they would be able to visit Matt anytime now that he was doing so much better. Everyone shared more hugs and good wishes with the couple as they began leaving for the evening so that Matt could get some rest. Chief Boden was the last one to leave and he asked Gabby if he could have a minute to chat with Matt alone. Gabby gave the two men a smile and went out to chat with Kelly and Sylvie in the hallway so they could have some privacy.

"Matt," the chief began as he got a serious look on his face, "I know you. I know you very well. I can see how much you want to get back to the firehouse and resume your duties but I need you to do something for me."

"What is it chief?" Matt asked slightly concerned at what his chief wanted from him.

"I need you to not overdo your recovery," Boden said quietly. "We've seen injuries happen to guys in our house. We've seen them push themselves too hard to get back on the job and it ends up setting them back and then we lose them for a longer amount of time. You've been through a huge trauma captain. Please promise me that you'll take care of yourself and not push things too fast. Be smart about your recovery, okay?"

Matt's face softened as he saw the serious look on his chief's face. He nodded at his boss and promised that he would make smart decisions and trust his medical team. The two men shook hands and after Boden left the room, Gabby returned and went back to her usual spot on the right side of Matt's bed. He was definitely tired but his spirit felt happier than it had in a while and he was grateful that his friends had been able to spend time with them that day.

* * *

Later in the evening, Matt yawned as he watched the end of the Cubs-Cardinals game on TV. He had enjoyed the visit from his firehouse family but all the excitement had worn him out. It had made for a long day and he was more than ready to get some sleep. Gabby had finished helping him change clothes and get himself ready for bed and was currently in the bathroom getting ready for bed herself.

He sighed as he looked over at the bathroom door and heard the water running in the sink. Gabby hadn't complained even once since she'd returned to Chicago and started staying with him at Med but he knew that taking care of him had to be such a burden to her. He was unable to do much of anything and when they finally were able to send him home at some point, he knew it wasn't going to be much better there. The hospital was talking about getting him some home nurse help for the times when Gabby wouldn't be there but she was adamant that she was going to be there for him 24/7. He appreciated that she wanted to take care of him all the time but realistically, she was going to need some breaks so this didn't wear her out. The question for Matt was how to bring that up with her without offending her. As he watched her come out of the bathroom, he turned the TV off so that they could talk before going to sleep.

"Hey babe," he said as she put her toiletries away. "Can we talk for a minute before going to sleep?"

"Sure," Gabby said as she turned to him. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah," Matt said as he gave her a reassuring smile. She moved over to the bed to sit down as he continued, "I just want to run something by you if that's okay." She nodded and he gathered his courage to tell her what was on his mind.

"I really think we need to get some extra help once they send me home," he began. Gabby started to protest and he gently put a finger to her lips, "Let me explain. Gabby, you have been amazing to me. You have been right on top of all my medical information, asking all the right questions, and making sure that they're doing everything they can to get me fixed up. You haven't complained once about anything and have been a rock for me since I've been stuck in the hospital. I know that it hasn't been easy for you and my biggest worry right now, especially now that they're hoping to get me home soon, is that my recovery wears you out. You're my wife, not my housekeeper or nurse, and I don't want you to start feeling like a caretaker instead of the love of my life. I will gladly accept all your love, comfort, care, and help once we get home but I really want you to take some time to yourself too. Go work at Molly's, pick up a shift or half shift at the firehouse, teach some EMS classes…something so that you get a break from dealing with all my medical stuff. I think it would be good for you so that you don't get overwhelmed and exhausted from my care. I feel like you need to have those breaks every so often while I'm healing and trying to get back on my feet. I really want you to consider letting the hospital help us get some home care for me a few times a week and I really hope that we can work that out."

Matt sat back in his bed, he didn't even realize that he had sat up so straight when he started talking, while waiting to hear what Gabby had to say about his request. She was quiet at first but eventually she sighed and gently stroked his face with her hand. Her face had relaxed and he reached out to hold her other hand. She smiled at her husband.

"As much as I want to be the only person who takes care of you," Gabby began with a shy smile, "You're definitely right that we need some help. I've been thinking about how easy it was when I got to take care of you after that warehouse accident and we didn't have any problems during that recovery. This is way bigger than that though. I know there's going to be a lot more physical therapy involved to get you back on your feet, and while I do plan to learn whatever I need to for that so that I can help you as much as possible, I also think that having outside help is only going to benefit us in the long run. So, I agree…let's talk to Maggie and Dr. Rhodes and see what they have to say about getting us some extra help. I would definitely prefer to be your wife and not your sole medical professional for this recovery period."

Matt was relieved to hear her say all that and he reached out to pull her into a deep kiss. They stayed that way for quite a while before pulling apart when he felt a tear fall onto his face. He opened his eyes and noticed Gabby was losing a fighting battle with her emotions and had started crying. He wiped a few tears off her cheeks and gave her a questioning look. Things were finally looking up again so why was she having an emotional moment? Gabby gave him a lopsided smile while grabbing a tissue to wipe the rest of her face and blow her nose. She turned to him after throwing the used tissue away.

"I'm sorry for the tears," she said as she sat back down on his bed. Matt was about to say something when she stopped him and continued, "I've been holding back a lot of my emotions because of all your surgeries and the medical jargon they keep throwing at us about your recovery, but I have to pinch myself every single day that you're really alive and that our life together is going to continue after all. It almost doesn't feel real. That's why I've been so adamant about staying here with you. There's a part of me that's still scared that if I leave, something bad will happen and I really will lose you."

"Oh babe," Matt said with his own quiet smile. "I get it. I don't want you to be scared, and the doctors keep saying that I'm going to be fine, but I understand that this whole situation deeply affected you. Just promise me that you'll tell me when you're feeling overwhelmed or emotional and I'll do what I can to help make it better. We're gonna need each other more than ever to get through this so let's keep talking or crying or laughing or whatever else we need to do to keep our spirits up. Things have to go up from here. I really believe that babe."

Gabby gave him a smile and was finally able to dry up all her tears. Matt smiled back at her and reached out so he could draw her into a tender hug. She gladly accepted his hug and then laid her head on the upper part of his chest. A few years ago, she probably would have been stubborn and put up more of a fight about getting extra help, she always believed that she was strong enough to do anything, but after being away from him for so long, all she wanted was to get her amazing, strong husband back and she was willing to accept whatever help they needed to get him back on his feet again.

Life was finally looking up for them and Matt and Gabby were ready to take on his healing and recovery with the same passion and determination that they take their jobs and relationship. Things were finally on the upswing for them and they finally felt comfortable enough to truly believe that the future was bright for them again.

* * *

 _I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I promise that Dawsey won't be in the hospital forever. Matt's injuries and recovery do play a very big role in what happens to them in the future though which is why I'm taking the extra time to focus a few chapters on this time period of their life together. Thanks again for all your support! =)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks once again for your encouragement and good wishes regarding this story. The bigger time jumps are going to start coming from this point on so brace yourself for that and know that I do have a plan for these jumps so there is a method to my madness. I hope you enjoy this chapter and hey, be ready because another question from their future is going to be answered for you! =)_

* * *

 _ **November 2019**_

Gabby finished washing a casserole dish and gently placed it in the drying rack while making a mental note to return it to Cindy Herrrmann over the weekend. It wasn't really necessary in her mind but their family at firehouse 51 had been bringing over various casseroles and meals for her and Matt ever since he got home and it had really helped make things easier for them. Gabby would never admit it out loud, she knew she was perfectly capable of cooking for the two of them, but she really appreciated the thoughtfulness of their friends and was so grateful that they were looking out for them.

She finished doing the dishes and looked into the living room to see Matt sleeping on the couch. He looked so peaceful and even though it wasn't too long before bedtime, she wasn't about to wake him up. He hadn't been sleeping well since he'd been home, mainly because he still couldn't get around much or walk very well, so any time he was able to get some rest, she was letting him sleep. Her heart ached just thinking about everything that he had been through since the accident and during his recovery. Things hadn't gone the way they thought with regards to getting him back on his feet again and their patience had been put through the wringer.

The original plan was to get Matt home and have a physical therapist work with him there but they learned very quickly that he wouldn't be able to get around or get the proper therapy very well in their apartment, so the doctors placed him in a rehab center where he could get more structured therapy and proper rehabilitation. This made things difficult for Gabby since the rehab center wouldn't let her stay with him all the time and she didn't like being apart from her husband. The facility eventually worked with the couple and Gabby was finally able to spend more time there and was even able to stay overnight on the weekends when Matt didn't have as many therapy appointments and wanted the company of his wife.

The frustration with Matt's recovery had actually started while he was still healing at Med. Due to the nature of his injuries, the medical staff had planned out a very specific group of exercises for him to do and if he tried to do them out of order, the consequences were dangerous for him. As an example, Matt needed to strengthen his left shoulder and arm before he could start working through his hip and leg injuries to walk again which he discovered the hard way during the last week he was in the hospital. He had tried to push himself up to stand and his shoulder had given out on him. He ended up stuck in bed for two more weeks with a shoulder strain that had to rest in order to heal, but thankfully he didn't mess up the surgical repairs so the setback was more emotional than anything.

It was more of the same at the rehab center. Matt struggled with his confidence and his patience the entire time he was there and he and Gabby had a few unexpected arguments that caused even more tension during his recovery. His therapy appointments were excruciating at times and sometimes the aches and pains were so bad that he had trouble motivating himself to do his other exercises which set him back even further. Thankfully Gabby didn't lose any of her patience with him, she knew his frustrations were for the slow process of recovery and didn't have much to do with her, and she was by his side as much as possible. Matt knew he owed Gabby big time for how well she was handling everything and he wasn't going to forget it.

It was an emotional and trying experience for both of them to get through that rehab stay but when Matt finally got healthy enough to move home, he felt like he was being freed from prison. The entire house along with their families showed up at Gabby and Matt's apartment to welcome him home and they had a fantastic time catching up with everyone over pizza and beer. He had finally started to feel more like himself even though he still wished his recovery would speed up.

Matt had only been home at their apartment for about a month now and as Gabby looked once again into the living room at her still sleeping husband, she smiled at the memory of that big party at their apartment. He'd been so happy to finally be in his own home again and found more peacethere than he'd had at the rehab center. They now had an at home therapist named Carol helping them out with his recovery. She was a sweet older woman that adored Matt and Gabby and brought them home baked sweet treats every single Friday. She came in during the day to work with Matt while Gabby ran errands and got a break from the apartment (she was currently working a few day shifts at Molly's and also teaching a beginner EMT class at the academy on Tuesdays). Gabby was happy to have some non-work relatedfree time to grocery shop and run other errands for them while Matt did his therapy. In the evenings and on weekends, Matt was responsible for his own rehab work because Carol wasn't there. Gabby had learned what she needed to know to help him with that but after all the hard stuff was done, the two of them were ecstatic to spend their evenings together in their own home again.

Gabby was about to go snuggle with Matt on the couch for a while when she heard a weird noise outside. It had snowed earlier in the day but they hadn't been outside much. It was her day off from Molly's and after Carol had left, they'd enjoyed some quiet moments together while watching a movie. Gabby was curious about the random noise so she walked over to the back door to look outside and see what was there. She was startled to see a little cat shivering on their back patio. The cat had a badly broken back leg and a bunch of scratches all over it. The poor thing looked like it had been in a bad fight. Gabby's heart broke at hearing it's cries for help so she grabbed a couple of clean kitchen towels and a shoebox to go outside and see if she could bring it inside.

She crept outside quietly so as not to startle the cat and noticed that it was a female cat who was mostly grey with a few spots of brown and white in her fur and was probably only six or so months old. She looked for a collar but didn't see one and when the cat looked up at Gabby with sad green eyes, her heart broke. This poor thing was all alone and she couldn't just leave it outside in the snow. She carefully picked up the cat and placed her in the shoebox with the towels and she was surprised when the cat didn't even flinch. She gently patted the cat's head and watched as she closed her eyes and relaxed into Gabby's hand. She seemed like such a gentle cat and Gabby couldn't figure out how she had ended up on their patio.

She quietly came back into the apartment with the cat and heard Matt call out to her from the living room, "Babe? What are you doing?" She put her jacket on one of their kitchen chairs and went into the other room. Matt's confusion at seeing her carrying a shoebox was very apparent so she went over to the couch.

"Well," she began as she showed him the box with the cat in it, "I heard a noise outside and apparently we had a little visitor on our back patio. I didn't want to leave her outside so I was bringing her in to get warm."

"Oh wow," Matt said as the cat looked back and forth between the two of them, "Is her leg broken? That looks really bad…and how do you know it's a female cat?"

"Trust me," Gabby said smiling, "I can tell and yeah, that leg is definitely broken. It looks like she got into some sort of fight. Maybe with a raccoon or something over food?"

"Could be," Matt said as he patted the cat's head, "She probably needs to see a vet to get that leg fixed and to check on those scratches."

"Yeah, I was going to look and see if there's an animal hospital nearby that I can take her to tonight," Gabby said as she took out her phone. "She really needs to be seen sooner rather than later. That leg looks bad." Matt nodded in agreement and Gabby started looking for some information on her phone. She found what she was looking for and headed to the kitchen to make the phone call. Matt looked down at the little cat and saw her trying to sit up and not having much luck with her hurt leg. He gently patted her head again and tried to ease her off her bad leg. He understood her pain and frustration and he found himself talking to her without even realizing it.

"Hey," he said as he laid her back down again. "Your leg is pretty hurt. You're gonna make it worse if you keep trying to use it…" He stopped then and realized what he was saying. He could very well be talking about himself and his own recovery. He'd been pushing himself and pushing himself, trying to get healed quickly, and it was frustrating that his body wasn't responding fast enough. If he wanted to completely heal and get back to work at house 51, he needed to take his own advice and stop overworking his body. He turned to the cat again.

"I understand how you feel little one," he said smiling as she started purring while he was patting her head. "Just relax and try not to push anything. We're gonna take good care of you and before you know it, you'll be all better again."

Gabby had finished her phone call and overheard what Matt said to the cat. She paused a moment before coming back to the living room and when she did, she was startled to see her husband look more relaxed and at peace than he'd been since before the accident six months ago. He was smiling at the cat and she could hear purring coming from the box. Maybe that old adage about animals being good for the soul and helping with healing wasn't too far off base. She went over to the couch to let Matt know that she was going to head to the animal hospital soon and they both shared a sweet moment with the cat before Gabby left to see the vet.

Thankfully the vet at the animal hospital, Dr. Ryder, was able to help the cat by fixing and setting her broken leg and cleaning up her scratches. He agreed with Gabby that the poor thing had probably gotten into a fight with a wild animal over food and had probably gotten lost trying to find help. Dr. Ryder said they needed to keep the cat at the hospital for a week or so to make sure her leg healed all right and they would look for her owner while she was there. Gabby felt a little sad to leave her behind but she was glad the cat was getting the treatment she needed for her injuries.

* * *

A little over a week later, Gabby was helping Matt with his shoulder exercises in the living room when she heard her cell phone ringing from the bedroom. She left him there to do some work on his own and went to get her phone. She didn't recognize the number but after answering it, she discovered it was the vet calling from the animal hospital. After speaking with him for a few minutes, he had called with an update about the injured cat, she went back into the living room to talk to her husband.

"Well," she began as Matt put down the resistance band he had been working with for his shoulder, "that was Dr. Ryder from the animal hospital. He had some news for us about that cat."

"Is she okay?" Matt asked as he sat down on the couch.

"Thankfully yes," Gabby said with a smile as she approached the couch. "Her leg is healing up just fine and the scratches are much better. She's apparently been very sweet to everyone and hasn't caused any trouble for them. He was happy to report that she was doing so well. He did have a question for us though."

"They couldn't find an owner for the cat and want to know if we're interested in adopting her?" Matt suggested with a hopeful look on his face.

Gabby laughed while joining him on the couch. He hit the nail right on the head. She turned to him again, "Yes, that's exactly right. How in the world did you know that?"

"I didn't", Matt said laughing, "I was just speaking out of my hope that they couldn't find an owner for her so that maybe we could bring her home with us."

Gabby grinned at him and gave him a side hug while accepting a kiss from him on her forehead. She turned to look at him, "You really liked that little cat when she was here, didn't you?"

"I did," he said sheepishly, "And I can't even explain it but when she was here, I just felt a sense of peace and a calmness that I haven't really had since the accident. I can also relate to that feeling of not being able to do much because you're too banged up and injured so there was a little bonding going on there too."

"She's healing up just fine and with time, you're gonna be all healed up too," Gabby said with a warm smile. "I like the idea of bringing her into our home though. She seems like a very sweet cat and she was obviously comfortable with us. So am I correct in saying that you think we should adopt her?"

"Absolutely," Matt said and after giving Gabby a gentle kiss, "and hey, taking care of her will be good practice for us while we figure out our next steps with that whole baby decision that we've been distracted from for all these months."

Gabby sat up straighter and gave Matt a slightly surprised look. He gently touched her face and smiled, "We have been to hell and back since that accident but I have not forgotten about how much we both want to have a baby. We're gonna figure that out soon Gabby…I promise."

Gabby gave Matt a relieved smile and leaned into his waiting arms for a big hug. She couldn't believe after everything that he had been through, he was still thinking about their desire for a child and hoping to figure out their next step in that process. They held onto each other for a few moments until Gabby noticed the time and realized that Matt was going to be late for a doctor's appointment if they didn't leave soon. They gathered up their things and Gabby said she would stop by the store to pick up everything they would need for the cat and then they could get her from the hospital together after he finished up at the doctor's office.

* * *

Matt sat uncomfortably in a chair as he waited for Dr. Rhodes to arrive and wondered how he was going to approach a rather sensitive subject with him. He knew he was doing better with his recovery now than he was a few months ago but the road ahead still seemed quite long and there was something new bothering him that he needed to ask the doctor about or else it was going to drive him crazy. He sighed when he heard the door open and saw the doctor come into the room.

The two of them made small talk for a few minutes before Dr. Rhodes asked him some questions about his recovery and therapy. Matt filled him in on how he was doing, how the therapy was going, and how he was getting on at home including the new information that they were adopting a cat. Satisfied with what he heard and saw in the test results, the doctor was ready to let Matt head out but Matt stopped him with a look and a question.

"I don't know how else to ask this except to ask it bluntly so I'm just gonna blurt it out," Matt said with an anxious look, "Am I ever going to be able to have sex again or is that still out of the question?"

Dr. Rhodes was startled by Matt's bluntness but not surprised by the question. The two of them had had a rather uncomfortable but necessary conversation about this very subject back when Matt was staying at Med and his injuries were bad enough that Dr. Rhodes had told him it wasn't possible until he was further along with his recovery. His body had just gone through too much trauma and his injuries were bad enough that he would have had a hard time with it anyway.

The doctor pulled up a stool next to Matt. He wanted to give him that information but he first asked him a question, "I'm not at all surprised by the question, especially after our last conversation about it when you were recovering here, but is there any reason that you're bringing this up today?"

Matt looked a bit sheepish but answered right away, "I had so many plans in mind for how I wanted to welcome Gabby home from her task force work and none of them involved her becoming a part time therapist, a cook, a housekeeper, a part time bartender just to get out of the house, a nurse, a teacher, and apparently now a cat co-owner. She's been incredible to me through this whole ordeal and I feel like if we could get this particular part of our marriage back, maybe it will bring a little more normalcy to our life and make her feel more like a wife again instead of a caretaker."

Dr. Rhodes smiled softly and his heart went out to Matt who had slumped down after his admission. The doctor couldn't imagine how frustrating it had to be to need so much help with so many simple things and not be able to show some appreciation to your wife for everything she's done. It was time for some good news so the doctor sat up straighter and gave Matt a smile.

"The last time we talked about this," Dr. Rhodes began, "your body was in real bad shape Matt and there was no way that you would've been able to do much of anything. Now, things are much different and in a good way. I can see that the therapy is helping, even though we've had a few setbacks with your shoulder and getting you walking again, but your injuries are much more healed than they were a few months ago. I'm not gonna promise you that it'll be easy, but I don't see any reason why you and Gabby can't start figuring this out for yourselves now. It's not going to be like it's been in the past but I don't see any danger in you guys having sex now."

Matt perked up and smiled, "Thank you for giving me good news. I really needed that today."

Dr. Rhodes smiled at him, "Glad I could help. Just don't go crazy on me and get reinjured…that's all I ask." Matt laughed and promised he would take it easy and be careful.

* * *

Matt was leaning back in bed reading a book when Gabby returned to their bedroom from the checking on the cat in the living room. She was glad to hear that his doctor's appointment had gone well that day and loved seeing him in a better mood. She smiled at him as she went to her side of the bed and climbed in. He put the book away as she got into bed and managed to get himself laying down next to her as she was turning off the lights. Gabby leaned in for her normal good night kiss but Matt surprised her with a much deeper kiss. It was something that they hadn't shared a lot of lately, especially in their bed. She felt herself relaxing into his embrace and was enjoying the moment when she felt his hands start roaming underneath her top. It was then that she suddenly remembered his injuries and pulled back from him. He looked puzzled by her sudden reaction and gave her a confused look.

"Matt," Gabby began while trying to catch her breath again, "I don't think we can do this yet. You're still recovering and can't get around all that well yet. And I don't want you to get more hurt somehow…" Matt quieted her with a finger placed gently on her lips and gave her a sweet smile.

"I actually asked Dr. Rhodes about this today," he said while still smiling, "and it wasn't the most comfortable conversation I've ever had but he said that it would be fine for us now. I'm healed up enough, even though my physical therapy will obviously be continuing, and he said he didn't see any reason for us not to try now and see how well I handle it."

"Really?" Gabby said perking up. "He said it was okay? You're not just saying that to because you're a guy who really wants to have sex?"

Matt laughed and brushed a hair off Gabby's face. "Its really okay. I know it's probably going to be weird at first and I really don't know how my body is going to respond but oh my gosh Gabby, you have been so amazing to me through this whole ordeal and I really want us to start finding some normalcy again. Not to mention that you were gone for what felt like forever and now you've been home for over six months and we haven't been able to properly celebrate that yet."

Gabby smiled at her husband's loving comments and leaned in to give him a kiss. She ended the kiss briefly to say one last thing to him, "Then I think it's time to celebrate babe." Matt grinned at her and they kissed again, this time longer and with more passion. Soon, they were lost in each other's embrace, finally able to forget about injuries and therapy and just enjoy being together again.

* * *

Matt found himself wide awake in the dark and noticed the clock said 3:15 AM. He sighed. This was his new normal, waking up in the middle of the night, and he looked over to see Gabby sound asleep. He had been hopeful that having sex would have made him tired enough to sleep through the whole night for once but apparently not even that was enough right now. He gently entangled himself from his wife to get out of the bed and found his boxers on the floor. He put them on and pondered what to do during tonight's adventure of being awake in the middle of the night. He knew he wouldn't get back to sleep anytime soon so he reached out to grab his walker (he had crutches, a wheelchair, and the walker all in the house to help him get around) and headed out to the living room.

He was preparing to watch some TV with the hope of making him tired again when he heard a small meow coming from the cat. They had set up a large crate with a litter box, a water dish, and a small bed in the living room for her so she could be safe until she got used to their apartment. She was looking up at him with those big green eyes and he decided to take her out of the crate and see if she would sit with him on the couch. She let him pick her up and Matt sat down on the couch while placing her on the cushion next to him. She looked around for a few minutes while Matt tried to find something to watch on the TV. He looked down to see her sitting up next to him, her broken leg still in a cast, but looking very content and peaceful.

Matt finally found an old episode of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson on a random channel and decided to watch that for a while. He laughed at Johnny's monologue and was waiting for the first guest when he felt some paws on his thigh. The cat was climbing up to sit on his lap and he smiled as she got comfortable and started watching the TV with him. They watched two episodes together with the cat hanging on every word Johnny said and perking up every time Matt laughed at one of the jokes. It suddenly occurred to Matt that this little cat needed a name and while sitting there getting ready to watch a third episode, he laughed when he realized what he wanted to name her.

"So little one," he said to her as she continued to sit on his lap, "I think I might have the perfect name for you. How do you feel about the name Carson?"

As if on cue, the cat perked up and meowed at him. Matt laughed and patted her gently on the head. She started purring and laid down on his lap so maybe he was onto something with that name. He smiled and gave her ears a scratch before saying to her, "I guess that's a sign that you like the name. I'll ask Gabby about it in the morning to see if she likes it too."

"I love it," Gabby said smiling from the doorway while wearing one of Matt's shirts and nothing else. Matt was startled to see her awake but not at all upset to see her awake, especially wearing in his shirt. She came over to the couch and sat down next to him. They smiled at each other and snuggled on the couch to watch the next episode together while their new cat, Carson, slept comfortably with her new family.

* * *

 _***I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and liked finding out how Dawsey got their cat! I love that you are all still with me on this journey and I promise that there's lots more to come. I'm so appreciative of your reviews and comments so please keep them coming and thanks again for all your support! =)_


	5. Chapter 5

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks once again for your kind words and enthusiasm for this story! I'm starting to feel a little pressure to get chapters done quicker for you all but I just don't have time to write every day and I don't want to rush anything either. I hope you'll continue to have some patience with me as I make sure to tell this story in my own time frame. I promise I won't make you wait too long between chapters! Anyway, things are about to get real for our couple in this chapter so hold on tight and get ready for some drama!_

* * *

 _ **Late July/Early August 2020**_

Molly's was the place to be on this hot summer night. The bar normally had a healthy crowd but on this random Sunday evening, everyone in the area seemed to be there and the beer was flowing all night long.

Gabby smiled as she looked at Matt sitting to her left laughing hard at one of Otis and Cruz's latest pranks. House 51 had a new candidate and he had become their new target for trying out practical jokes and gags. Their latest had the poor guy running around the house trying to find a non-existent 'special' artifact that they said was hidden there by a previous chief. He finally gave up after three days and was doing his best to avoid Chief Boden thinking that he had let their chief down by not finding the random item.

The rest of house 51 wasn't sitting too far away from the couple as they sat close together at their table. Sev and Stella were sitting across from them laughing over something that had happened during Sev's recent fishing trip with his father. Chief Boden was behind them telling Capp, Tony, and Mouch about Terrance's latest award at school. Sylvie was catching up with Antonio over at the bar while Herrmann was on his way to the two tables with new rounds of drinks. He dropped off some beers off at the Chief's table and then brought a glass of wine and three beers to Gabby and Matt's table.

"Hey Case," Herrmann said as he gave him a fresh beer, "You got all your tests this week, right?"

"Yeah," Matt said with a smile. "I've got my doctor's appointment on Tuesday and then I have to take the firefighter test on Thursday morning." Everyone perked up and turned towards their table when they heard that news because it meant Matt was that much closer to returning to 51.

"You ready for that?" Sev said with a light punch to Matt's arm. He gave his best friend a smile and was happy when Matt smiled broadly back at him. Sev hadn't gone a day over the last year or so without being worried about his friend so it was great for him to see that Matt was in much better spirits.

"I think so," Matt said with confident smile, "I'm more than ready to put this whole accident behind me and get back to work and our normal life again". As their friends jumped in with good wishes for Matt, he gave Gabby's leg a squeeze under the table and she smiled back at him. He'd finished all his physical therapy back in early May and had been working out like a madman to get himself back in firefighting shape. He was happy to feel more like himself again but he was finally SO close to returning to 51 and resuming his job as captain that he could barely sleep at night. This week of tests was why he had worked so hard throughout his recovery and therapy and to know that the end of the road was so close had brought that spark back to his eyes again.

"You got this captain," Chief Boden said to Matt while giving him a pat on the back. "We know how hard you've worked and how tough it's been to be patient throughout your recovery. You know we're all pulling for you."

"I know Chief," Matt said with a nod and smile. "And I tried my best to keep my promise to you and not push myself too much. Hopefully I didn't drive everyone too crazy." Everyone chuckled as the Chief gave him one of his patented looks and they laughed harder when Gabby spoke up.

"He had his moments," Gabby said with a roll of her eyes as everyone continued to laugh. Matt gave her a playful swat and she laughed at him. "No, he did okay. I only had to reign him in a few times during his at home therapy. He did a pretty great job listening to his medical staff and not pushing himself too hard. It helped after we got Carson because she had an uncanny way of interrupting him right as he was thinking about doing too much!"

Everyone laughed harder, including Matt, at their cat being an exercise deterrent. Carson had really changed the energy at their apartment and both Matt and Gabby couldn't get enough of playing with or being with her. She had finally gotten acclimated and comfortable in their home and loved getting into all sorts of mischief when she wasn't being an awesome lap cat. She loved sitting with the couple while they watched hockey games or movies on TV. She had really helped keep Matt calm as he finished up his recovery and thankfully she showed no lasting effects from the injuries that had originally brought her to the Casey home.

"Hey guys, I want to propose a toast," Sev said standing up. Everyone turned to their squad leader and grabbed their drinks. Sev looked over at Matt and Gabby and gave them a huge smile. He didn't care if it was cheesy…he had things he wanted to say so he was going to say them. He cleared his throat and began his toast.

"This past year has been incredibly emotional for all of us, but especially for you guys. I can't believe we're finally approaching the finish line from last year's nightmare. I think I speak for everyone when I tell you two," Sev stopped to point his drink at Matt and Gabby, "that BOTH of you have inspired us all. Even prior to the accident last year, I know you guys were dealing with so much, just, crazy life stuff, and to see you both now…I'm just in awe of how much strength, patience, and love you guys have shown through everything that you've been through. No matter what happens this week, know that we're all behind you 1000% and we're pulling for you to get through everything with flying colors. I love you both so much and Case, I'm insanely proud of you, not just as your fellow officer in the CFD, but as your best friend. To Matt's recovery and to him and Gabby inspiring us with their love and devotion every single day."

Sev raised his beer, "To Matt and Gabby!"

As everyone toasted around them, Matt and Gabby shared a quick kiss and happily enjoyed the rest of the evening with their firehouse family.

* * *

Gabby paced around the doctor's office as she waited for Matt to return from all the testing and wondered why it was taking so long. She knew they had to run a ton of different tests to make sure he was fit for duty but he'd been healthy for most of the summer all ready so she couldn't understand why he wasn't back yet. She was just starting to worry that something was wrong when he finally returned to the room. He was exhausted from being poked, prodded, and examined for the last few hours but relieved that everything seemed to have gone well. He sat down on the exam table and Gabby gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the head.

"That felt like it took forever," Matt said with a sigh. "I know they have a job to do but it felt like they were getting ready to send me into outer space or something."

Gabby laughed as she pulled a stool over to sit next to him. There are a lot of things that have to be checked to make sure a firefighter can go back to active duty but neither of them had gone through this sort of trauma before so this appointment was a little overwhelming. She patted his right arm and gave him a grin.

"I'm sure they're just being thorough babe," she said as he looked over at her. "You and I both know that they have to check for a gazillion things."

"Yeah, I know," Matt said as he smiled back at her. "I was just hoping it would go quicker than that since I've been unable to work for over a year. I think the extra time they took made me more antsy about the results than I probably need to be."

"Hopefully the tests with Dr. Kennard next week won't go like this," Gabby said with a laugh. Matt groaned but laughed with her as he thought about that appointment coming up soon. His accident and recovery had caused them to push off their baby decision even longer, but after a lot of discussion, they finally figured out what they wanted to do and surrogacy became their best option. Gabby wasn't as opposed to adopting anymore, almost losing your husband will change anyone's perspective, but after reading more about surrogacy and how it would work for them, they both decided to try that first and then keep adoption as their plan B for now.

They had met with a new OB/GYN over at Lakeshore, Dr. Abby Kennard (who preferred to be called Dr. K) about a month ago and really enjoyed learning more about the process and what was required of them. Dr. K specialized in helping couples who struggled with fertility issues (especially those who chose to go through the surrogacy process) and she was optimistic that this path would work very well for them. They had finished filling out all their paperwork last night and were scheduled to have tests run at the doctor's office the following week so they could officially start the surrogacy process. They could have started it sooner but decided to wait until after Matt completed all his tests for work, especially since him getting back to work needed to happen in order for them to afford the whole process. They were shocked at how expensive everything was but knew they could make it work once he was on the job again.

They were chatting briefly about the firefighter test coming up later in the week when Dr. Rhodes entered their room. Matt and Gabby were surprised by this since he wasn't Matt's primary doctor but he'd been part of the testing that day and had been a big part of Matt's recovery so maybe they were letting him give Matt his test results. They frowned when they saw the concerned look on the doctor's face and Gabby couldn't help grabbing Matt's hand.

"Matt," Dr. Rhodes began, "We completed all your tests today and as far as we can tell, you're in extremely good shape and completely healed from your injuries."

"That's good," Matt said tentatively, "I feel like there's a but coming though…"

"Unfortunately, there is," Dr. Rhodes said as he sat down on another stool in the room off to Matt's left side. "We found a couple of things that I need to tell you about but first, I need you to do a couple of brief tests with me here."

"OK," Matt said as he leaned slightly to the left with a confused look on his face. Gabby and Dr. Rhodes both noticed the lean and she got concerned when Dr. Rhodes didn't look surprised by it. She glanced back and forth between the two men and didn't let go of Matt's hand.

"Matt, I need you to look straight forward for me," the doctor said in a much softer voice than he'd used when he first came into the office and Matt was startled when he couldn't quite understand what Dr. Rhodes wanted him to do. He looked over at the doctor with a confused look on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said with a tremble in his voice, "but I couldn't understand you. Can you say that again?"

"I need you to look STRAIGHT forward for me," Dr. Rhodes said in a much louder voice. Matt understand the request this time but still couldn't hear him all that well. Instead of looking forward, he turned to the doctor again with a startled look on his face. It was one of the first times in a long time that Gabby had seen her husband scared and she didn't know what was happening. The doctor sighed and gave Matt the bad news.

"Matt, you are incredibly healthy and recovered from your major injuries," Dr. Rhodes said with a kind look, "but there are two minor things going on with your health that we originally thought were temporary but have now discovered are permanent. Since you've been home, have you noticed that you can't hear very well out of your left ear?"

"I didn't really notice it much when I was recovering because I was dealing with all my therapy," Matt said quietly as he thought back over the last year plus of time, "but I have noticed more lately that it's hard to understand people when they're on that side. And now that I'm really looking back, I think I've been subconsciously keeping people mostly to my right side for months."

Gabby, sitting directly to Matt's right side at that very moment, let out a small gasp. She had noticed him doing that months ago but didn't think anything of it since most of his injuries had been to his left side and sitting to his right had become second nature for her and most of his friends. She'd still been sitting, laying, or standing to his right after he completed his therapy and she turned to Dr. Rhodes with her own scared question, "Did we do something wrong here? Should we have noticed that months ago and brought it up with the medical team?"

"You guys didn't do anything wrong," Dr. Rhodes said with a warm smile. "You had enough other things to worry about and honestly, we missed it too since Matt never showed any sign of not understanding us during his recovery or physical therapy. Don't beat yourselves up over it. It's not life ending…there are actually a few hearing aids that we think will help with the problem and it shouldn't affect you living your life at all. This type of damage is permanent though so the hearing aid is only for assistance and not a cure for it."

"OK," Matt said as tightened his grip on Gabby's hand, "I can handle having a hearing aid but you said there was something else wrong too? How are these two things going to affect me going forward as a firefighter?"

"Yes, the other thing," the doctor said ignoring Matt's question for the moment and standing up to walk in front of him, "I really do need you to do something for me. I need you to look straight forward towards me and keep your gaze there. I'm going to move around the room and I need you to say yes or no when I ask you if you can see me. Keep your gaze to the front of the room, okay?"

Matt nodded in reply to the doctor's request and Gabby moved further off to the side so that Dr. Rhodes had more room to walk around in front of Matt. Dr. Rhodes first moved around the front and then off to Matt's right side stopping when Matt said that he couldn't see him anymore. The doctor then started walking towards Matt's left side and Gabby was startled when Matt said 'no' a lot quicker that time. The doctor sat back down on his stool as Gabby took her spot to Matt's right again.

"Normally, a person's peripheral vision allows them to see things around them even if they're not really looking in that direction," Dr. Rhodes began as he explained the situation to Matt, "We noticed during the vision testing today that your left eye doesn't have the same range for that as your right eye anymore. We ran a few more scans to see why and it looks like there's some damage to the optic nerves. Your peripheral vision in the left eye has been affected by it which means your left eye can only see so much. You're also going to need glasses since this damage is also causing the left eye to have trouble with distance and is forcing your right eye to work that much harder. The glasses will balance that out and keep your vision from getting worse over time."

"All right," Matt said as he slowly digested that news, "I guess I can live with glasses too. You didn't answer my question though. How are these two things going to affect me working as a firefighter?"

"The damage to your hearing is significant," Dr. Rhodes began quietly, "and if that was all you had to deal with, then it would probably be okay since we believe that a hearing aid will help you. But losing your peripheral vision isn't something that can be corrected, even with glasses, and you know better than anyone that you have to be able to see everything around you when you're in a rescue situation. This was not an easy decision to make, but as your medical team, we can't authorize you to work as an active duty firefighter anymore. I am SO sorry Matt."

Dr. Rhodes swallowed hard as he looked at Matt and Gabby's shocked faces. He felt horrible having to give them that news but he also knew that out of all the doctors who had helped with Matt's recovery, he was the one who needed to be there to break it to them and help them pick up the pieces. They trusted him and knew that he would be honest with them. As he watched them trying to comprehend what they'd just been told, the doctor stood up, told them he was going to give them some time to process everything, and go get the hearing aid and vision information for them.

Dr. Rhodes then left the room as Gabby and Matt looked at each other in shock and confusion. None of the scenarios in their heads had even been close to what they'd just been told and they had no idea what to say or do at that moment. Matt finally found his voice as Gabby managed to get to her feet. His tearful question to her broke her heart into a million pieces.

"What…what do I do now?"

And because Gabby had no answer for his question, she shook her head sadly and enveloped him a big hug while gently cradling his head onto her shoulder. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks, especially after she felt her husband start to shake and cry himself over the sad news that had shocked both of them.

* * *

Matt sat in the front seat of his truck with a blank look on his face while Gabby sat in the passenger seat looking extremely concerned for her husband. It was Friday morning, just three days after their world had been changed by his medical exam results, and Matt was supposed to be going into the house to tell everyone his news. They never imagined that the news wouldn't be good when they originally made this plan and Matt couldn't find the strength to get out of his truck. Everyone had been so wonderful to him throughout his recovery and were eager to have their captain back in the house and now he was going to disappoint them.

Matt looked down at the two letters that were sitting in his lap. One was a manila envelope with all his medical results in it. The other was his letter of resignation from the Chicago Fire Department. Writing it had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He swallowed hard and turned to Gabby.

"Being part of the CFD was the only thing I ever wanted to do," he said to her quietly. "It's been my dream since I was a teenager and these guys, my brothers and sisters, have always been my family, especially when my own family wasn't there for me. This isn't just a job for me…its my way of life. It's like breathing for me, and even with all the close calls I've had while working, I never imagined this life being taken away from me. How do I just leave it all behind now?"

Gabby reached over and gave Matt's leg a squeeze as she watched a few tears escape his eyes. He took off his new glasses to wipe his eyes and blow his nose. They had taken care of getting his glasses and picked out a hearing aid for him in between getting his test results and their visit to the firehouse, but that still hadn't prepared him for how emotional it was going to be. He still wasn't moving so Gabby slid over in the seat to put her arm around him and rest her head on his shoulder. She took his hand and tried to give him some encouragement, "This situation doesn't change the man you are Matt. You are still the bravest, kindest, strongest, and most amazing man I have ever known and those guys in there are still going to love you and support you no matter what happens now. I think it might be better to get this over with quickly and hey, I'm gonna be right by your side."

Matt looked lovingly at his wife and gave her a thankful smile. She was right. This needed to be like pulling off a band aid…you can't do it slowly and any delays just make it hurt worse. He gave her a quick kiss and hug and then both of them got out of the truck to head into the house.

* * *

Matt looked at all the stuff that had collected on and around his desk and wondered when he had last cleaned his office. He put a few books into a box and then stopped to close his eyes for a moment. He suddenly remembered the last time that he'd been there…it was the day of the accident. He had been heading out to that fateful call but had stopped to look around his office for some reason. The last thing he saw before heading out to the truck was the picture of him and Gabby in St. Croix and he'd left for that call smiling. He never imagined that that day would be the last time this office would belong to him.

Telling the house about his medical results had been emotional and difficult for everyone. None of the guys could quite believe it at first so he and Gabby had to keep explaining why they wouldn't clear him to work. Sev looked devastated and the guys on his truck could barely look up. Chief Boden stayed close to Matt which had given him some comfort but Chief Walker was also in the house that day for a meeting with Boden and looked so disappointed to find out that the CFD was now losing one of its finest captains. It was almost a blessing that the alarms went off calling everyone to a restaurant fire and car crash but they all wanted Matt to stick around so they could talk to him more when they got back.

Matt agreed to stick around for a while and went to clean out his office while Gabby gathered up everything from his locker. She returned with another box of his things and had a bit of smile on her face. Matt noticed that she had some pictures in her hand and he wondered what he had left in his locker.

"I didn't know you had these in your locker," Gabby said to him with a grin as she handed over the pictures and sat on his bed. He took them from her and smiled at the good memories. One picture was of him and Gabby at his old house early in their relationship, another was of him, Gabby, Shay, and Severide goofing off at a firehouse Christmas party the year before she died, one was a selfie of him and Gabby at Navy Pier, and the last was one of him and Gabby all dressed up for a fancy event when he was still an alderman. He gave her a big grin thinking back to those happy moments and then gave the pics back so she could put them in the other box.

Matt was finishing up with his desk when the couple heard a knock outside. He and Gabby both turned to see Chief Walker standing at the office door. Matt invited him in and then noticed that the Chief had his resignation papers in his hand. Matt gave him a puzzled look and the Chief cleared his throat to talk to his young captain.

"I am not ready to accept your resignation Captain Casey," the chief said to his surprised captain as he handed back the letter. He gave Matt a small smile and continued, "I understand that you didn't get the results you wanted from your medical exam but I don't believe that this has to be the end of your career. I think there could be a place for you at headquarters."

"I don't know Chief," Matt said apologetically. "I've never been much of an office guy."

"It wouldn't just be in the office though," the chief continued. "As you know, we've had a lot of turnover after finally getting Grissom out and getting rid of his cronies. I think there's a few openings there that you would excel at and I'd love to talk to you more about it."

Matt was about to object again when the chief interrupted, "Don't give me an answer now Captain. Take some time to think about it and then let me know what you think. The CFD really can't afford to lose one of it's most promising captains and personally, I've always admired your work Casey and don't want to see this be the end of your career. Just promise me you'll think about it."

Matt looked over at his wife who was giving him a hopeful look. She nodded her support at him and he nodded back. He turned again to the chief, "I promise that I'll think about it."

"That's all I can ask for," Chief Walker said with a smile. He handed Matt one of his cards while giving him some encouragement, "Here's my cell number. I always have it on me. Give me a call when you're ready to talk."

* * *

It was a couple of weeks after his medical exam and Matt was almost finished cleaning up the kitchen. Gabby had cooked another amazing dinner and was in the living room playing with Carson. They'd hit a bit of a road block in their decision making over the last few weeks and he felt horrible about all the disagreements. It was part of the reason he was cleaning up after dinner and not in the other room with her. They needed some space for a while.

He sighed as he walked towards the living room and he stopped when he got a glimpse of his wife on their couch. She was playing with Carson (the cat loved to chase things and Gabby was using one of her string toys to entertain her), something that she'd done hundreds of times, but it was the look in her eyes that caused him to stop cold. She looked completely defeated and her eyes had lost that spark that he loved so much.

He stepped back and caught a glimpse of their kitchen table. The surrogacy papers had been buried under magazines and assorted cards and his medical bills were piling up next to that on the table. He pulled the surrogacy papers out and looked at all their carefully filled out information. He closed his eyes and dropped his head remembering how Gabby thought it was best to cancel their appointment with Dr. K after everything that had happened with his exam results. She thought it was too much for him to handle after all the disappointment but he had wanted to go through with the appointment anyway, even though his head was definitely not in a great place. They'd had a huge fight over what to do but in the end, the appointment was cancelled when they got tired of fighting with each other and decided to put it off. Tension had settled into their home after that decision and when Matt still couldn't decide about the job that Chief Walker had offered him, the tension grew even higher between them and had led to some very quiet moments in their home.

Matt suddenly straightened up and opened his eyes. Life for them had been revolving around him for way too long. Obviously it wasn't all his fault since no one could have seen the accident coming but things were different now that he was better. Gabby had been extremely patient with the stalling of their baby progression, but it had now been well over two years since they first started talking about adding a child to their family and she was still waiting around patiently for it. Matt shook his head as he finally realized that it was high time their life became about them again and not just him. He took the surrogacy papers off the table and went into their bedroom. He found what he was looking for on their chest of drawers and then got out his cell phone to dial a number.

"Chief Walker? Hi, this is Matt Casey. Do you have time to see me tomorrow morning? I think I'm finally ready to hear what you have to say."

* * *

 _***I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter even though it may have caught you by surprise and was the longest thing EVER. And just in case you were wondering, there really are some interesting medical issues that can happen to a firefighter which would cause them to not be cleared for active duty. That's a very real thing! Anyway, there's MUCH more to come for our favorite couple in this time period so please keep reading, reviewing, and letting me know what you think. I adore all of you and thanks once again for all your support! =)_


	6. Chapter 6

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks once again for your kind words and excitement for this story. It's really not easy being a Dawsey fan right now, is it?! I'm pretty sure CF is doing everything it can to erase Gabby from their canvas, but that just makes me more determined than ever to keep her (and Dawsey) going strong in this story. Your encouragement is EVERYTHING to me and I cannot thank you guys enough. Anyway, this chapter will actually pick up right after the last one which probably won't happen much, if at all, in the rest of this story. The time jumps are gonna be a little random at times but I promise that it will all make sense in the end. Enjoy this latest update and please let me know what you think!_

* * *

 _ **Late August 2020**_

Matt woke up the next morning with a strange sense of peace in his heart which he hadn't felt much since getting his medical exam results. Gabby was sleeping quietly next to him (along with Carson who was laying between them) and he sighed thinking about the last couple of weeks. His exam results, their arguments over going forward with or postponing their surrogacy plans, his depression over not being able to return to active duty firefighting…everything had been so overwhelming but his revelation the previous night that it was time for life to stop revolving around him had woken up something in his soul. Gabby had been his rock for well over a year now and he knew that this hadn't been easy for her. It was way past time for her dreams to be put on the forefront again and adding that baby to their family needed to be priority number one now.

Matt was careful to not wake up Gabby or the cat as he got out of bed to get ready for his meeting with Chief Walker. He had no idea what the chief was going to tell him, he couldn't think of a single job at headquarters that he really wanted to do, but he found himself finally feeling interested in hearing what this man had to say. Matt knew that if he wasn't working somehow, he and Gabby wouldn't be able to move forward with their surrogacy plans. The cost of the entire process was way too much for them if he wasn't able to work full time and the last thing he wanted to do was put that type of burden on her shoulders after all she'd done for him in his recovery. Working at headquarters wasn't something he'd really given much thought about in the past but he would figure out how to make it work if it meant he and Gabby could finally move forward and add that long desired child to their family. He went into the bathroom to grab a quick shower before getting dressed for the meeting.

Gabby stirred and was half awake when she noticed Matt was all ready up and in the shower. She sighed and snuggled deeper into the blanket but smiled as Carson crept over to snuggle with her. Their cat had an uncanny way of knowing when one of them needed comfort and was always there with a snuggle or purr. Gabby sighed again as she stretched out her legs and thought about the last few weeks. She and Matt had been struggling with their emotions (ever since he'd gotten those test results back) and she was feeling a bit lost about what to do. She could tell that his head hadn't been in the right place to meet with Dr. K the week after they got those results, but it had taken her by surprise when he was so adamant at first about keeping that appointment. Maybe he needed the distraction, maybe he felt bad about them putting the baby stuff off again…Gabby didn't really know, but they had ended up in a huge argument over the whole thing and she hated herself for being so stubborn with him. She was the one who had suggested that they table the entire baby discussion while he figured out what to do for work and she was shocked when he didn't react well to that, even though he eventually agreed to cancel the appointment for now. She knew this was for the best though, at least at that point in time. Matt had slipped into a deep depression as he struggled with processing his new normal and tried to figure out what to do for work, and she knew it was wrong but she couldn't help being annoyed that he wouldn't at least talk to Chief Walker about that offer. It wouldn't hurt anything to find out what the chief had to say. Both of them knew that this process was going to cost way more than she would be making, even if she taught more than the two classes she was teaching that fall and worked seven days a week at Molly's, so it was no secret that he needed to figure something out or they would never get anywhere on the baby plans.

Gabby's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the bathroom door open and she looked over to see Matt return to their bedroom in a towel as he began a search for something to wear. She cocked her head and frowned slightly at him being up so early. They hadn't fought the night before but after Matt had finished doing the dishes, he'd come into the living room and sat with her on the couch while she played with Carson and they watched the Cubs game together. They hadn't said much to each other but the silence had felt more comfortable between them and she was curious what had changed for him. She decided to bite the bullet and ask him what was going on.

"Good morning," she said tentatively. "Did you sleep all right?"

"Yeah," Matt said with a satisfied smile. "I actually did although I had to move Carson at one point because she was laying on my face."

Gabby chuckled at that comment since Carson was laying right near her head at that very moment and decided to dive right into the conversation, "You're up awfully early. Is something going on today?"

"I finally decided to call Chief Walker last night," Matt said as he zipped up his jeans. He started looking around for a shirt to wear as Gabby suddenly sat up in their bed. She wasn't expecting to hear that from him. He noticed her sudden movement and after pulling a blue polo shirt over his head, he smiled at her, "I know I'm not an office person. I can't think of a single job that I've ever done in an office, but I also can't stand not working anymore and I'm curious about what he has to say so I'm meeting the chief this morning to talk about it."

Gabby was about to say something but Matt stopped her with a look and a comment, "It hit me last night that our life has been revolving around me for well over a year now. Everything that we've done has been all about me. My recovery, my therapy, my health…its all been about me. I know it's not all my fault, it's not like I purposely let that building collapse on top of me, but I'm healthy now and I kept saying all through my recovery that I wanted things to get back to normal for us."

He came over and sat down next to Gabby on the bed as he continued, "And us getting back to normal means getting back to the business of adding that child to our family. We came up with a great plan for that and I'm not going to let this new wrench in our life mess that up. I know I need to be working in order for this baby to happen for us so I'm gonna figure the work thing out, starting with this meeting, and see if maybe I can still be involved with the CFD somehow. If that doesn't work out, then I'll move onto plan B, whatever that is. Big picture though…we're moving forward with this process because I'm tired of you getting pushed to the side and this is something *both* of us have been wanting for years. It's time that we put *us* first instead of me."

Gabby melted into a puddle of emotions after Matt finished talking and he smiled as she pulled him in for a big hug. She felt him kiss the top of her head and she squeezed him extra tight. As they broke apart from the hug, she couldn't help feeling overwhelmed by how much she loved this man. She gave him a teary smile, "I love you so much. Thank you for saying that and for going to that meeting. I hope you know that I wouldn't have been mad if you decided not to go. All I've ever wanted is for you to figure something out so you could be working again because I know how much you've hated being stuck at home."

"I love you too and hey, I didn't always hate being at home," Matt said with a flirty grin as he ran his hand up her arm, "We've been having some pretty good fun of our own here on those days when you didn't have a shift at Molly's so it hasn't all been bad."

Gabby laughed but gave him a sly grin back. She knew what he was referring to and once he was working again, she was going to miss those fun moments too. She leaned in for a deep kiss that probably would have turned into something more if she hadn't found a way to pull away from him knowing he needed to finish getting ready for his meeting. He groaned as she moved away and Gabby laughed as she gave him a goofy grin, "Hey, you have a meeting soon lover boy and I have a shift at Molly's, but I think after we get home later tonight that we could probably pick this back up again if you're interested…"

"Oh, I'm interested," Matt said with a sparkle in his eyes, "I'm VERY interested and I'm gonna hold you to that…"

"Deal," Gabby said as they both leaned in for another kiss. Matt would have been content to kiss her all day and he pouted again when she ended it and jokingly pushed him off the bed. He sighed in defeat but gave Gabby a playful swat as he finished getting ready for his meeting.

* * *

Matt walked up the stairs to the CFD headquarters and soon found himself in the reception area wondering where to go next. He introduced himself to the receptionist and told her that he was there for a meeting with Chief Walker. She quickly made a phone call and then told Matt that the Chief was on his way out. Matt thanked her and took some time to look around at all the artifacts, awards, and pictures that were posted in the reception area. One in particular caught his eye and as he walked over to get a closer look, he realized that it was an old picture from his now former house. He smiled at the good memories but he couldn't help getting a lump in his throat at the sight of the uniform that he could no longer wear.

Chief Walker greeted Matt warmly and shook his hand before the two headed up to his office. Normally Matt didn't really notice much when he visited headquarters but, on this visit, he was very aware of all the eyes that kept looking his way. It was starting to make him anxious and slightly annoyed…he really didn't want their pity. The last time he'd felt like everyone was watching him with pity in their eyes was the first day that he'd returned to high school after his dad died and his mom was arrested for shooting him. The kids had been just as obvious back then as the workers were all being now. He was relieved when they arrived at the chief's office and he finally took a deep breath when the older man closed his office door.

"Thanks for meeting with me Captain," the chief began as he took a seat behind his desk and offered a chair to Matt. Matt smiled at him and sat down as the chief continued, "I know this isn't what you thought you might be doing after your recovery and honestly, I still can't believe you're not at Boden's side right now at 51. Gosh, if I still can't make sense of this whole situation, I can't imagine how much of a shock it still has to be for you."

Matt sighed but gave the chief a brave smile and nodded, "Yeah, it took a while for that to sink it and honestly, I don't know that it totally has for me yet. I just know that I need to move forward and if there's a chance I can stay involved with the CFD somehow, I'd like to know my options."

"I'm glad to hear that Matt," Chief Walker said with a satisfied smile. "I can't promise that working here is gonna be as exciting as working out at a firehouse but we have really good people here and they all do important jobs too."

Matt tensed up when the chief mentioned the staff there and the chief noticed his change in demeaner. He cocked his head before asking Matt, "Did I say something wrong Captain Casey?"

"No, um, no, you didn't", Matt said stammering a little bit. "I just, well, I got a little uncomfortable walking in because I felt like everyone was staring at me. I could almost feel the pity in their eyes. You know, 'there goes the guy who can't see that well anymore and probably won't hear you if he's not wearing his hearing aid…didn't he used to be a great firefighter?' I've had that feeling in the past and it just…it doesn't feel good."

Chief Walker's heart broke as he saw the pain that was still there in his captain's eyes. There wasn't anything he could say to take that pain away but he definitely knew that what Matt thought he was seeing there was actually something different. He leaned forward and crossed his hands to tell the younger man what was really going on.

"You think you see pity from those guys out there?" he asked the younger man. When Matt sadly nodded, the chief continued with a small smile, "You really have no idea, do you?"

Matt was confused by the chief's comments and he watched as Chief Walker came out from behind his desk and stood next to him at the front. The chief's face had softened and Matt wasn't sure what was coming next.

"Matt," the older man said kindly, "they aren't looking at you with pity. They're looking at you with *awe*. They don't see a sad guy who can't see or hear well anymore…they see a captain who put every single person in his command ahead of him during a harrowing call. They see a leader who made sure his guys were all safe and then paid the biggest price for that by being caught in every firefighter's worst nightmare, a collapsing building. They also see a man who fought like hell just to live to see another day and then busted his ass to get himself healthy again. They might feel bad that you can't be on active duty anymore but they're *so* anxious to see what type of leadership and integrity you can bring to us here at headquarters. There's no pity Matt…just a group of hard-working people who are excited to see another good person join the team."

Matt was stunned by the chief's statement and also a little overwhelmed. He had no idea that anyone there looked at him with that kind of respect and when he glanced over his shoulder, he could see part of the room outside and the staff there were staring over at the chief's office. This time, he didn't see the pity; instead he saw some of the awe and excitement in their eyes. Maybe working there wouldn't be so bad for him and he might even learn a few things about himself too. He relaxed a bit and turned back to his chief and said, "Thank you for saying that Chief. It means a lot to me."

The chief smiled back at him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. He chuckled at how unaware Matt was about how respected he is in the CFD and that, in a way, is what made him such a great officer. He never focused on how anyone looked at him. He just focused on doing a great job in whatever role he was placed in and the chief knew that this was a quality that headquarters desperately needed right now.

"So," the chief continued as he went around to sit at his desk again, "let me tell you about some of the job opportunities that I think you would be perfect for here."

* * *

Gabby was exhausted as she entered the apartment after her shift at Molly's. She put her purse, jacket, and some paperwork on the desk in the living room and looked around for Matt. She knew he was home, his truck was outside, but she didn't see him anywhere. She called out to find him, "Matt? Are you home?"

"In the kitchen babe," his voice called out from the other side of the room. Gabby stopped to pat Carson's head as she looked up from her perch on the back of the couch and then headed into the kitchen. Something smelled amazing and while she didn't like to admit it for fear of giving him a big head, she always got very excited and loved when Matt decided to cook. Normally she did all their cooking but Matt had a real knack for it. He just preferred letting her take the lead with their meals since it all came more naturally to her.

"Something smells amazing in here," Gabby said with a smile as she entered the kitchen.

Matt laughed as he replied, "It's just spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad…I kept things simple tonight." He pulled the garlic bread out of the oven and then came over to give her a quick kiss before going back to the stove to finish the spaghetti. She looked around and noticed that the dining room table was set nicer than normal and there were wine glasses out. Had she forgotten a special occasion?

Matt noticed her confusion and jokingly cleared his throat, "Ahem, I hope I don't need to come up with a specific reason to cook dinner and plan a quiet evening alone with my wife."

Gabby gave him a sweet smile and came over to put her arms around him at the stove. He turned one of the burners off and then turned to Gabby to envelope her in a big hug. He gave her a few quick kisses on the forehead before kissing her sweetly on the lips. The kiss lingered until Gabby finally broke it to say something to him, "You absolutely do not need a reason to cook or plan a special evening for us. I was just curious…especially since I know you had a big meeting this morning."

Matt pushed his glasses up his nose, they'd fallen down while he was welcoming her home, and gave her a big smile. He'd ended up having a really good meeting with Chief Walker and he was excited to tell her about it, "I did have a big meeting this morning and I'm thinking that you might be interested in hearing about it over dinner?"

"Absolutely!" Gabby said with a big smile. She was thrilled to see that he was in such good spirits. She helped him finish making dinner and they worked together to take everything over to the table. They each filled up their plates with spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread and soon they were casually chatting and catching up on each other's days. Matt had a lot to update her about from his meeting and Gabby listened intently as he caught her up on everything.

The meeting with Chief Walker had given him quite a bit to think about with regards to job possibilities. The chief had given him three positions at headquarters that he thought Matt would be interested in and all of them had their good and bad points. The first position was helping with the processing of new candidates which would allow him to get to know the new recruits and follow their progress through the academy (Matt liked the idea of being a part of the new candidates journey to becoming firefighters but he wasn't sure about all the paperwork). The second position was in the scheduling department where he'd be responsible for placing the floaters into positions at various houses all over the city when houses had temporary holes to fill as well as processing the various transfer requests (Matt wasn't real keen on this position since it was even more paperwork and not much interaction with anyone outside of what would be his office).

The last position was the one that intrigued Matt the most because it allowed him to interact with his fellow firefighters and help make a difference for the CFD. This role was newly created for headquarters and was being described as a communication specialist. Chief Grissom and his cohorts had recently gotten removed from the CFD for causing so much discord, and the remaining leaders at headquarters had a lot of damage to undo with all firehouses that had been affected by his new rules. The trust between all the affected parties was on very shaky ground because the houses felt that Grissom had been allowed to change regulations and rules without justification for way too long. Headquarters really needed some competent and trustworthy firefighters to correspond with the field and help rebuild that trust again. They already had one gentleman, also a captain, working in this new role who was doing a wonderful job and had changed things for the better with regards to improved communication. He was getting overwhelmed though as more and more firehouses were taking advantage of this new opportunity to communicate with headquarters so they wanted another person to help out. Chief Walker was hopeful that Matt would consider taking on that role so they could have two trustworthy people in place.

Matt hadn't given Chief Walker an answer yet, he wanted to talk to Gabby first, but he mentioned how much that third role had interested him. He liked the idea of being in contact with the various firehouses and figuring out ways that they could help them. Since he wasn't all that far removed from working at his former firehouse, he knew better than anyone else at headquarters the trouble that tends to come up in the day to day running of a firehouse. He thought he would enjoy being a part of helping make things better for all the firefighters in the field. The only thing that made him nervous was the part of the job that would require him to visit his firehouses from time to time to check in with them and give them motivational talks when necessary. Matt wasn't the best at giving speeches and that part of the job gave him some anxiety.

The couple continued chatting about various other topics as they finished dinner and after cleaning up the leftovers and loading the dishwasher, they took fresh glasses of wine into the living room. They got comfortable on the couch and their conversation eventually turned back to the job offers from the chief. Gabby was the one who got the conversation back to that topic because she was curious to see where Matt's head was about them. She was glad that Matt had several options and she wanted to help him make the right decision.

"So," she began, "I like that Chief Walker gave you several job options. Have you given much thought to which one sounds like the best fit for you?"

Matt frowned briefly but eventually gave Gabby a smile. He had been thinking about the offers all day and he did have things narrowed down. He took Gabby's hand as he began talking, "I've actually been thinking about it all day. I wasn't too eager to become the scheduling person for the entire CFD so I ruled that one out first. I didn't really care for all the scheduling I had to do just for the guys at 51 so I'm not all that eager to do that sort of thing for a larger group of people. I liked the idea of working with the new recruits but I feel like that job is more limiting for any future options and eventually, I feel like I might get bored with all that paperwork."

Gabby was getting slightly concerned that Matt wouldn't find something to keep him involved with the CFD after all but then she noticed his mood brighten as he continued talking, "That third job though…that's the one that really caught my attention. You weren't here for most of it, and you should be thankful for that, but Grissom and his cronies made life hell for so many of us in the field. He changed things at the last minute, he switched report forms on the officers, regulations were updated without any warning, supply orders got changed without informing us…he was a nightmare and everyone was upset about it. They did the right thing by finally getting rid of them all but even I noticed how much damage he caused all over the CFD and I wasn't even there for the later stuff. I really feel like I could make a difference by taking that communication job. I spoke to a few people at headquarters before I left today and they were intelligent, honest, and eager to get things repaired from Grissom's mess. There's a big part of me that wants to help them with that and I think I could do a good job."

"I think you would do a phenomenal job babe," Gabby said with a big smile. "You love the CFD so much and I do know from all our talks while I was in San Juan that the changes and updates were driving you, Sev, and Boden nuts. You've actually been where those firehouses are right now and I think they would appreciate having you as their contact person at headquarters because you won't sugarcoat anything. You know what they're going through and want to help make things better for them."

"Thanks babe," Matt said as he gently touched her face. "I do suck at giving speeches though. How am I gonna get through that part of this role?"

"Practice?" Gabby said with a giggle. "Come on Matt, you're not that bad…" She stopped when Matt gave her a look of disbelief, she'd witnessed a few of his clunkers in person, but continued after patting him on the arm, "Seriously, you're not that bad. You just need to take more time to organize your thoughts and not try so hard to sound…well, like Boden. You have to develop your own voice when you're speaking and I think that will come with time. You can do this job Matt. I believe in you and I'm not just saying that because I'm your wife and legally obligated to support you."

Matt laughed as Gabby gave him an encouraging smile. He pulled her close and gave her a deep kiss before replying to her, "I guess this is your endorsement for me to take that third job and become a communication specialist at headquarters?"

"Absolutely," Gabby said as she wrapped her arms around him and moved closer to him on the couch. "You're gonna do great babe."

"Thanks," Matt said as he pulled her even closer and gave her a big grin. "I'm gonna call Chief Walker in the morning and accept that position, but in the meantime…" Matt stopped talking and leaned in to kiss Gabby's neck before finishing his thought, "I believe we started something this morning that we planned to continue once we got home and now that we're both home…"

"Mmhmm," Gabby murmured as she got lost in his kisses. "You're absolutely right." The couple smiled at each other and soon, any talk of work, dinner, and anything else was forgotten as they got lost in each other for the rest of the evening.

* * *

 _I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Another time jump will be coming soon but obviously I had to slow things down with the big change happening in Matt's career. I'm excited to dive more into Dawsey's baby journey now so please keep reading, reviewing, and letting me know what you think. I adore all of you and thanks once again for all your support! =)_


	7. Chapter 7

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks so much for your support and your amazing reviews! I get such a kick out of reading what you guys think about the story and I'm so grateful that you love reading it as much as I love writing it. This chapter actually has TWO time jumps in it but hopefully it makes perfect sense. Enjoy this update and please let me know what you think!_

* * *

 _ **December 2020**_

It was a wintery day, chilly with some snow flurries in the sky, but Gabby felt warm and happy as she drove home from her last class of the day. It was her and Matt's fourth wedding anniversary and they had plans to go out for dinner at one of her favorite restaurants that night. They'd both been quite busy that week so she was looking forward to a quiet evening out with her husband. She also knew he had something special for her. He had tried to be sneaky about it but she saw him hiding something that morning at breakfast and decided to keep it to herself so she didn't ruin the surprise. She smiled to herself wondering what he was hiding but she actually had a surprise of her own for him that she knew would make him incredibly happy.

Several months had passed since Matt had taken on his new role as communication specialist at CFD headquarters and he was pleasantly surprised at how much he enjoyed working there. He got along well with the other communication guy, Captain Tom Vergaini, and they had become great friends as they worked to help their assigned firehouses. At first it was difficult for Matt to get used to working the same hours day after day but eventually he fell into a nice routine. He found that he actually liked being at work for a specific number of hours every day but getting used to having all of his evenings free was more of an adjustment. Over time though, he realized that he enjoyed being home at night to spend more time with Gabby and they loved being able to go to movies, concerts, watch hockey, or spend time out with their friends on a more regular schedule. This was a lifestyle that neither Gabby or Matt had ever experienced before and it surprised them how much they enjoyed having a more normal schedule now.

While Matt was learning new things every day at headquarters and building relationships with the various houses in his area, Gabby was now teaching three paramedic courses at the academy (one of the other educators wasn't able to teach their course that fall so she was asked to pick up an extra class) and working at Molly's when she wasn't teaching. She really enjoyed teaching the young paramedic candidates although they sometimes tried her patience with their weird questions and immature behavior. She quickly developed a 'teacher voice' that she had to use to keep them on track during lessons. It was tiring at times for her but their actions sometimes made her wonder if she'd done the same thing to her instructors back when she was at the academy.

Gabby pulled into her parking spot at their apartment and gathered her things before heading inside. She walked in the back door and dropped her stuff on the table before heading to their bedroom. Matt was buttoning up his shirt and he stopped briefly to greet her with a "Hey" and a warm kiss. Gabby gave him a big smile after she kissed him back and greeted him with a cheery, "Happy Anniversary!"

"Happy Anniversary to you too babe," Matt said with his own big smile. He gently drew her back into his embrace and the couple shared a deep kiss for a moment before Matt reluctantly pulled away to finish buttoning his shirt. They smiled at each other again before parting so Gabby could get ready for dinner. They made some small talk as they finished getting dressed with Gabby being the first to start the conversation, "How was your day babe?"

"Interesting," Matt said with a look and a wry smile. "Morningside kept me on the phone for almost an hour today so they could complain about their O2 cannisters not being replaced at the same pace as everyone else's."

"Do they even use their cannisters?" Gabby asked with a laugh as she stepped out of the closet with a sparkly purple dress that she'd bought specifically for that evening. Matt laughed with her and shook his head, "No, they haven't even used half of their cannisters yet and the last time they were switched out was a month ago. I don't know how I kept a straight face through the entire conversation and I'm pretty sure Tom broke a blood vessel in his head trying not to laugh out loud as he listened to everything."

"That might be one of my favorite calls ever…well, at least this week," Gabby said with a smirk as she finished getting dressed. Now that he was more established in his role at headquarters, the calls that he got from the various firehouses seemed to get more and more random and Gabby loved hearing about them. She walked over to a still amused Matt so he could zip up her dress and he gave her neck a quick kiss before sitting down to put on his shoes. Gabby finished touching up her makeup as they continued to chat about their days and soon they were heading out to enjoy their quiet dinner together and celebrate their anniversary.

* * *

Matt opened the door for Gabby as they returned home from their amazing dinner. They were both stuffed but had enjoyed every single bit of their meal and the restaurant had even given them a complimentary bottle of wine after hearing that it was their anniversary. They shared a sweet smile as they took off their coats so that Matt could hang them up in the hallway and then they headed into the living room. Matt took the wine bottle to the kitchen (they'd only finished half of it during dinner) while Gabby greeted Carson with a pat on the head. Matt put the bottle of wine in the fridge and picked up his present for Gabby from the bookshelf as he went back to her. She picked up on the fact that he had something for her and gave him a curious look. He gave her a shy smile and joined her on the couch.

"All right," Matt said as he sat down, "I feel like all I've done for the last year and a half is thank you for being such an amazing wife but with tonight being our anniversary, I'm gonna take this opportunity to say even more."

Matt took one of Gabby's hands in his before he began talking, "Gabriela Dawson…the day that we officially became husband and wife continues to be the happiest day of my life. We'd already been through so many things together by that point. From taking care of the Darden boys, to navigating your time with the fire academy, to losing Shay, going through our brief breakup, me getting kidnapped, and then losing our baby…it's so overwhelming to think about all the stuff that we went through even before we got married. We got through it all and more though and we continue to overcome every hardship that comes our way by trusting in our love, devotion, and commitment to each other. I remember saying to you years ago that as long as we go through all the hard stuff together, we're the luckiest souls around and I still believe that. I'm an incredibly lucky man to have the most amazing wife in the world and I love you so much. Nothing I could buy you would be as special as you are to me but I did find something that I hope you enjoy."

Matt saw Gabby getting teary as he finished his speech so he held out his other hand to give her the shiny, wrapped box. Her eyes brightened as she took the present and when she saw the beautiful diamond earrings inside the box, she gave him one of her special smiles and reached out to give him a big hug. The earrings were perfect, not too big but not really small either, and she absolutely adored them. She thanked him for his thoughtfulness right before they shared a sweet kiss and then Gabby pulled away because she wanted to give him his present now.

"My turn," Gabby said with a smile as Matt cocked his head wondering what she had planned for him. Gabby went over to her purse and pulled out a manila envelope. She returned to the couch as Matt's curiosity perked up. She turned to him with a shy grin, "Our wedding day will always be one of the best days of my life too and when I think about our wedding with all our friends around us and the reception that Sev threw for us at Molly's, I still get all tingly inside because I can't believe that I get to spend my life with the most wonderful man in the world. I love you so much babe and I cannot wait to see what life has planned next for us, but there's one thing that's been on my mind a lot since your accident and I decided this year that it needed to happen."

Gabby handed the envelope to Matt and he opened it with curious eyes. His mouth dropped open when he saw what was inside and he felt tears come to his eyes because he knew what a big decision that this had to have been for her. He pursed his lips to keep from crying and gave her one of his warmest smiles although it was also accompanied by teary eyes. The envelope contained paperwork stating that Gabby had officially changed her last name to Casey. Gabby noticed the tears in his eyes and gave him a shy smile, "I know we never really talked about this again after that initial conversation years ago, but after everything we've been through with your accident and me nearly losing you, and with the next steps we've been taking to add a baby to our family, I realized that I didn't want to be the only one in our family who wasn't a Casey. That just, well, it became so much more important for me after everything and I knew that it was something that would make you incredibly happy. I know both of us have our family issues which is why we didn't worry about any name changing stuff years ago, but I really want our whole family to have the same last name. Matt, I'm so proud to be your wife. I had the biggest smile on my face when they told me I was now officially Mrs. Gabriela Casey and I like that our family will be complete in more ways than one after we finally have that baby."

Matt couldn't even speak. This was such a big deal for her. Gabby was so proud to be a Dawson and he never wanted to push her into changing her last name after they got married four years ago. There was a part of him that liked the idea of them being Mr. and Mrs. Casey though and he secretly hoped that someday she would feel comfortable enough to change it. He had no idea that she'd been thinking about changing her last name at all so this was the best anniversary present that she could have ever given him.

"I don't even know what to say Gabby," Matt said still a bit chocked up. "This is the best present I've ever received. Babe, I know how proud you are to be a Dawson so this is just, wow, this is just amazing. I'm so overwhelmed right now that I'm all out of sorts."

Gabby laughed but scooted over so she could wrap her arms around his neck. She began stroking the bottom part of his hair line around his neck, something that always drove Matt nuts, and looked deep into his eyes as she replied, "You're welcome babe. I knew that this was something you originally hoped that I would do but I also knew you would never push me into doing it. You wanted it to feel right to me and now just felt like the perfect time. I love you Mr. Casey."

"I love you too Mrs. Casey," Matt said with a big smile. The two shared a passionate kiss for a few moments before Gabby broke it so she could speak again, "I do have one more present for you if you're interested…"

"Oh really?" Matt said with a smile as he suddenly had an idea of where this was going.

"Yes, really," Gabby said grinning back. She stroked his neck again as she continued, "I have to go get that present ready for you though so I will need you to give me about five minutes and then you can join me in the bedroom."

"Deal," Matt said as he leaned in for another quick kiss and then let Gabby head off to get her second present ready. He watched her walk away and then smiled to himself thinking about what was coming in the next part of their anniversary celebration.

* * *

 **April 2021**

Gabby paced around the office as her and Matt waited for Dr. K to arrive for their appointment. She was anxious for a very good reason…the last time that they'd been in a doctor's office together was when they were told of her abdominal aneurysm and how it affected her ability to carry a child. They were hoping to receive better news at this appointment, especially after they had to postpone it for so long. They originally thought they would reschedule this appointment for the beginning of the year once Matt was more comfortable with his new job, but after seeing how much the process would cost, they decided to wait a little longer so they could start a savings account and put money away so the process didn't completely mess up their finances.

Gabby continued pacing until she noticed Matt giving her a sympathetic look and offering up his hand to hold if she would come sit down again. She pursed her lips out of stress but came over to him and sat down again. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze as he gave her a small smile. She squeezed his hand back and finally let out a deep breath. Now that this moment was finally here, Gabby couldn't contain how nervous she was that something else was going to go wrong for them.

Dr. K finally arrived at the office and greeted Gabby and Matt warmly while carrying a folder of information for them. She could tell the couple was anxious, most of the couples that she met struggled with their emotions because of their past health troubles, but she also knew that this was a couple that had been through more than enough pain in their life together, so she felt extra determined to help them through this procedure with as little stress as possible. She sat down behind her desk and gave them another warm smile.

"I am about to hit you with more information than you ever thought was possible about this procedure," she began with crooked grin, "but I promise that I'm going to be here to help you through this every single step of the way. So, don't get overwhelmed. We've got this, okay?"

Gabby and Matt each let out a breath and continued to hold hands as they nodded and smiled at their doctor. They knew they were in good hands…they just didn't know what to expect from this process so they were fully relying on her expertise.

"First things first," Dr. K continued, "this process will take some time and that's by design to protect both you guys and the woman who will be carrying your child. We don't want any legal snafus coming up that cause delays in the medical procedures so we're going to go through some of that today so that we're prepared when the time comes."

She opened up the folder and took out some official documents. She showed them to the couple as she explained what they were, "Surrogacy is obviously a much different process than just going to the hospital and having a baby. We have legal documents in place that protect you from anyone else trying to say that your baby isn't yours as well as documents that protect the surrogate's medical rights and care. These won't be used until we find that match for you but I wanted you to be aware of them now so they didn't come as a surprise later. I actually work with a wonderful surrogacy agency here in Chicago. I'm prepared to give you all their information and they have several lawyers available that can help with all the legal stuff once we get to that point."

Gabby and Matt nodded at the doctor and she handed the legal documents and agency information to Matt. He noticed that there were several lawyers on the list she provided and Dr. K chimed in when they got a little wide eyed at all the names, "I can tell you which ones are the best once we get to that point but honestly, there's not a bad lawyer at that agency right now. They've all done a great job with my past couples so try not to worry about that too much right now."

Dr. K moved onto another paper from the folder. She placed this one in front of Matt and Gabby and explained what they needed to do with it, "One big thing that we need to do before anything else is set up your profile with us. We want to match our couples with the right surrogate for them, we have our surrogates fill out a profile as well, and this folder should contain your answers to a questionnaire, some photos or family information, and anything else you want your prospective surrogate to know about you. The contents of this folder are entirely up to you and honestly, I find that the more information we have about you, the easier it is to find the right match. I'm going to give this to you now so you can take it home and fill it out for us and figure out if you want to add anything else to it."

"Sounds good," Matt said as he accepted that paperwork from her and added it to the others. The couple was still feeling a bit overwhelmed but Dr. K had a calming presence in how she was presenting all the information to them, so they were feeling less anxious about everything now. Gabby turned to the doctor with a question, "How long does this process normally take? All the things we read had very broad time frames."

"It honestly depends," Dr. K said as she sat back in her chair. "Obviously the nine months of pregnancy is automatically built it but I've had couples get through the entire process quickly and they have a baby within 14 months but I've also had some run into all sorts of problems and suddenly its over two years before they finally have their baby. I'm hopeful that you two will be more in the 14 month time frame, especially after all you've been through with Matt's accident and all the changes to your life. I'm going to do everything I can to make this as smooth as possible for you."

Gabby smiled and Matt let out a sigh. They gave each other a nod and smile before looking back at their doctor with eager eyes. Gabby was the first to speak after a moment, "We really appreciate that. I feel like we've been talking about adding a baby to our family for such a long time now and finally getting this process started is exciting but also a little nerve wracking. This has already been a long journey for us but maybe there's finally a light at the end of the tunnel."

"I hope so," Dr. K said with a smile. "I love helping couples figure out the best way to add children to their families. This is why I became an OB/GYN in the first place and also why I became a surrogacy specialist. I didn't like giving my patients bad news about their ability to have a child the natural way and this process has come such a long way over the years that I wanted to add it to my practice to give couples another option. It really is a special experience for the surrogates to help couples bring their children into the world and I think it's going to be wonderful for you two as well."

Gabby and Matt smiled back as the doctor gave them a reassuring and determined smile. She pulled out a couple more papers from the folder and turned to the couple, "One more thing today before we schedule your next appointment…we got all your medical results from the tests that we ran prior to this session and I am very happy to report that everything looks good. Your eggs are perfectly healthy Gabby and so is your sperm Matt, so we shouldn't have any problems preparing your embryos for the implantation."

"Oh good," Gabby said as she let out a deep breath. Matt mocked wiping sweat off his forehead which made both Dr. K and Gabby laugh. The three of them enjoyed a lighter moment together and then Dr. K continued, "Unfortunately, a lot of the couples I meet have problems in this area so I'm very happy that the medical side of this process should go smoothly for you guys. It also makes it less emotional for me!"

Matt and Gabby finally relaxed more and then Matt asked the doctor a question, "How long have you been helping couples with this surrogacy process?"

"Almost fifteen years," Dr. K said with a smile. "And it's never the same process twice which always makes it interesting for me. I use the same general plan to help my couples along and yet my charts and records for them would show you SO many different scenarios that it would make your head spin. I've had some very emotional and hilarious moments with this process."

The doctor stood up and walked around her desk to stand closer to Matt and Gabby as she continued her story, "The one thing that has always been constant though is the fact that my couples eventually become a bigger family. It may take a while or it may happen much sooner but all of my couples eventually add children to their family. I promise that I will do everything in my power to help you. I just need you to trust me."

"You've got our complete trust Dr. K," Gabby said as Matt nodded in agreement. "Your record and all the great reviews we've read from your previous patients are why we came to you for help. I can't promise that we won't be emotional basket cases from time to time but we trust you and we're ready to take on this process."

"Excellent," Dr. K said with a big smile. "First order of business for you guys is to get that profile paperwork done and then we'll be ready to move on to step two."

* * *

Gabby was staring at the questionnaire they'd received from Dr. K while Matt looked up some information on his laptop. Carson had set up camp on Gabby's lap which was proving to be distracting, but the couple was determined to figure out what they wanted to put in their profile while it was all fresh in their minds, so they were plowing through as much as they could that night. They'd definitely gotten a lot of information at their appointment but instead of feeling overwhelmed and anxious, they were now excited and eager to start figuring out all the steps and get the process started.

"How much does this surrogate woman need to know about our history?" Matt asked Gabby as he adjusted his glasses. "That could be a full book for her to read if we include everything that we've been through over the years."

"Good question," Gabby said with a frown. How much did they want this stranger to know about them? Obviously they would eventually get to know this person but what they put in their profile right now could turn women away if they included the wrong things.

"I think we should include how we met and what our wedding and reception were like since that's all pretty unique to us," Matt said as he typed out an outline on the computer. "I'm not sure I want this woman knowing my family history this soon though. That could really scare people away from wanting to meet us."

"Yeah," Gabby said with a sympathetic look as she scratched Carson's ears. "I don't know if I want this woman knowing that I ran off to Puerto Rico when we found out about the aneurysm either because that might make her think that I'm some kind of weirdo who runs away from emotional stuff."

"That's not the whole story there though," Matt said as he gave Gabby his own sympathetic smile. She smiled back at him and after giving her hand a squeeze, he turned back to the computer to type up a few things as he talked, "How about this…we talk about our relationship history, just the big events, and then add in a few personal things that have affected that relationship. Maybe just the big things like our experience with Louie, losing the baby, your firefighter training, my Alderman experience, and definitely the accident and aftermath. I think talking about those things will give them a good idea of what we're all about and not make us sound too crazy. Hopefully it will show that while we've been through a lot of emotional stuff, we're also a loving couple who's devoted to each other and just wants to add a child to our family."

"That sounds good," Gabby said as she picked up the questionnaire again. They'd filled out all the personal information and she doubled checked to make sure they hadn't missed any questions. After noting that all the questions were answered, she turned back to her husband as he continued typing. He was making out a timeline for their relationship so they could figure out the correct way to order their big events for the profile essay. She laughed at the broken line that happened right after their engagement. She pointed to that line and turned to Matt, "Maybe we leave out the part where we got engaged and then went through our random and weird breakup because we couldn't figure out how to work together. I mean, we can say that we've gone through our troubles but I still regret that decision and I don't wanna have to answer questions about it."

"This is just a timeline," Matt said with a smile, "and that time apart actually made us much stronger in the end. We finally figured out how to work together, which we obviously needed to do if we both wanted to stay at 51 and be a couple, and hey, what's that saying…absence makes the heart grow fonder?"

"Yeah," Gabby said with a smile as she scooted her chair closer to Matt so she could lean onto his shoulder. "We were definitely closer after that breakup and the kidnapping helped bring us closer too."

"Oh yeah," Matt said with an amused look, "but maybe we don't add information from my foray into helping remodel a strip club and then getting kidnapped by Bulgarians when I tried to bring down a trafficking organization to the profile…"

Gabby laughed and moved around in her chair while picking up Carson and letting her rest on her forearm while she readjusted her legs. After getting herself settled again, and putting Carson back on her lap, she turned back to Matt, "I completely agree that those two things do *not* need to be in our profile."

"Done," Matt said with a quick swipe on the keyboard to erase that part of their history. "Now, how about we talk about the things we actually want in the profile that will make this woman not think we're the most damaged people in the world."

Gabby nodded and smiled as she rested her head on Matt's shoulder. They settled into a relaxed conversation with each other at the table as they continued going through their history and creating what they hoped was a good enough profile to help them find the right woman to carry their baby for them.

* * *

 _***I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and didn't mind the two time jumps. I promise that we're getting SO much closer to Dawsey starting their family! I know it's been a long time coming for them here but after all is said and done, I think that this overall journey to parenthood will be worth it for you guys. Thanks again for the support! =)_


	8. Chapter 8

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks again for all the love and support! If you haven't done it yet, I encourage you to reread the very first chapter of this story and see what questions I've answered so far…there are quite a few! I love reading your reviews and seeing what you guys have caught so far but I know some of you haven't reread that first chapter in a while so I think you might have fun doing that every once in a while as we get further into the story. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this update and please let me know what you think!_

* * *

 _ **September 2021**_

"Yeah, I understand that but we'll figure something out. We'll talk to Dr. K and see what she has to say and then go from there. I promise you Gabby…we're gonna be just fine and we'll figure this thing out. I'll see you when I get home later. Love you babe."

Matt hung up his cell phone and then slammed it down onto his desk startling Tom who was working on some paperwork. He watched as the younger man sighed and then put his head in his hands. Tom put down his pen and focused his attention on his coworker who was obviously not having a great day. After watching Matt rub his temples for a while, Tom finally got up the nerve to say something, "Everything all right over there?"

"Not even close," Matt said with a sigh. He finally looked up and the stress in his eyes made Tom worry about his friend. Matt sat still for a moment before taking a deep breath and explaining what was going on, "You know how Gabby and I have been searching for a surrogate to carry our baby?"

"Of course," Tom said as he focused all his attention on Matt. "You've talked about it a lot. I thought you guys had finally found the right one though."

"We thought so too," Matt said with a frown, "but our doctor just called Gabby to let her know that our surrogate is pregnant…with her *own* baby. We hadn't even gotten to the implantation process yet so this is definitely not a welcome situation."

"What?!" Tom exclaimed. "How is that possible? I thought there was a whole pre-pregnancy process thing that they had to go through and that they weren't supposed to be doing…er, well, other things right now."

"She definitely wasn't," Matt said wryly. "Apparently this was a shock to her too although she obviously didn't stick with the original plan of her and her husband not having sex while she was getting ready to carry our child. Gabby decided to call her to find out exactly what happened and she told Gabby that the two of them thought they could have sex 'just one more time' prior to the implantation, but she forgot that she had been put on extra hormones to prepare for our baby and well, biology took over from there. I don't know why she decided to become a surrogate if she wasn't totally prepared for the process. We never got the impression that she was going to be so flaky when we went through the interview so this is just...ugh, it just sucks. I wish I could say that I was shocked by this but it's almost comical now how much Gabby and I have been through trying to add this baby to our family. It's just ridiculous at this point."

Matt was completely exasperated over the situation and as he excused himself to go call their doctor, Tom's heart went out to his young friend. Tom was lucky, he and his wife had two great sons and a lovely daughter, and they hadn't had any issues getting pregnant with any of them. Watching Matt and Gabby plan so hard for this process, struggle with finding a surrogate, finally find someone they thought was the right one, and now to see their whole plan fall apart before it could even get started just broke Tom's heart. No one that he'd ever met in all his years of working for the CFD deserved to be a father more than Matt Casey and even though he didn't know her quite as well as Matt, he knew Gabby was going to be an amazing mother too.

Matt returned to the office feeling a bit calmer now that he'd talked to Dr. K about the entire situation. It actually made him feel better that she was extremely upset about the situation as well. Apparently this woman had tried to be a surrogate before when she was living in her former city (she came to Chicago from St. Louis because her husband's job had moved them there) but that agency threw her out when they found out she was only doing it for the money. Unfortunately for Matt and Gabby, none of that information had gotten to them prior to meeting and picking her from all their interviews so here they were now back to square one. Matt sat back down at his desk and Tom looked over with a raised eyebrow, silently asking him if he was okay. Matt nodded back and was grateful to his friend for understanding that he didn't want to talk about this anymore at work. The two men went back to working on their respective paperwork as Matt also mentally prepared himself to deal with a very emotional wife when he went home later.

* * *

Gabby was pacing the living room with anxiety and anger in her eyes while Carson watched from a safe spot on the couch. She couldn't believe that after all the interviews they'd done, after all the decision making they had to do with picking the right surrogate for them, and *all* the stress they'd had about starting the medical procedures, their 'awesome' surrogate choice, this 'great' woman who was supposed to carry their baby, had turned out to be a fraud. Gabby was so angry that she could barely see straight. How could this woman do this to her and Matt? This woman had claimed that she understood how much this baby meant to them, but now Gabby felt like she never actually cared about them at all which is what hurt her so much. Gabby didn't want this process to just be a money grab for some woman. This person was carrying a precious miracle baby for them and Gabby wanted this person to truly understand what a big deal this was for her and Matt. She was so hurt and angry that they were back to square one now.

Gabby stopped pacing briefly when she heard the front door open and saw Matt come into the living room. He dropped his stuff off on their desk and then looked over at his wife who was obviously still upset and very anxious. She looked up at him and once their eyes met across the room, her brave façade broke and the tears started flowing with a vengeance. Matt ran over to her and caught her just as she fell into his arms sobbing her heart out. He found himself fighting his own tears as he held his wife close and he gently lowered the two of them to the couch so they could get it all out of their systems. As both of them cried, Matt shook his head in disbelief because this was definitely not how things were supposed to go for them with this process.

Matt felt Gabby calming down as she rested her head on his shoulder and as he rubbed her back a few more times, he finally found his voice again, "We knew this process was going to be emotional. We knew that there was a chance of some unexpected things happening. We knew that it wasn't going to be easy. We also know that we have each other and we're gonna figure this thing out. I got you babe…we've got this."

Gabby nodded into his shoulder as she sniffled and tried to get herself calmer. She felt better having sobbed out all her emotions onto her husband's always willing chest and shoulder but the ache of what had happened that day was going to take a while to go away. As she steadied herself and the two of them started to end their embrace, she felt a little fluff of fur and realized that Carson had come over to check on the two of them. Gabby continued to be amazed at how their cat always knew when to come over and offer a purr or a cuddle to either of them when they were going through a hard time. She and Matt exchanged small smiles as they watched their cat look back and forth between them and then offer an adorable 'meow' to them. The couple took turns petting and cuddling Carson for a while as the cat purred and tried to comfort her humans.

Eventually, Matt went to change out of his work clothes while Gabby sat with Carson to wait for him to get back. Gabby was watching the news when Matt returned to the living room and she flipped off the TV after he sat down next to her on the couch. They looked at each other again, much calmer this time than they were when Matt first got home, and he reached over to take her hand and give it a gentle kiss.

"I called Dr. K after I got off the phone with you," he began as Gabby turned to face him on the couch. "I don't think I've ever heard her as upset as she is right now with that woman. I don't even want to say her name anymore…I still can't believe she did this to us."

"I know," Gabby said sadly. "That ridiculous woman sounded apologetic when I spoke to her this morning but I feel like she never really understood how important this is to us. I mean, she said she did when we interviewed her but why was she still having sex with her husband when she *knew* she was going to go on hormone treatments prior to the implantation?!"

"I don't know," Matt said as he rubbed his temples for what felt like the eighth time that day. "Dr. K made some calls this morning and apparently this isn't the first time this woman has pulled stuff with the surrogacy process. Dr. K threw her out of the program and also called some of her colleagues to keep her off their lists too. She doesn't want any other couples dealing with this type of mess."

"Good," Gabby said with a nod. She was glad no one else would have to deal with that woman. "I wish we had known that stuff prior to picking her though. She seemed so perfect at the time."

"Yeah," Matt said sadly. "Live and learn I guess. I scheduled an appointment with Dr. K for late next week so we can figure out what to do next. She wanted time to look through her surrogate list again and to call a few people for new eferences. She's not taking any chances with this now and wants us to avoid any more stress with this whole thing."

"That sounds fine," Gabby said as she reached over to hold Matt's hand. "Just let me know when so I can make sure to change my floater availability next week."

"No problem," Matt said with a smile as he squeezed Gabby's hand. "Hey, how was your shift yesterday?"

Gabby had recently decided to dip her toes back into the paramedic waters by getting herself added to the floater list for the CFD. She didn't have as many classes to teach for this term and going through this surrogacy process had been making her so anxious that she found herself needing something more to burn off all her excess energy. Spending a shift or two a week working as a paramedic with the various fire departments in the area was the perfect way to get all her anxiety out and take her mind off the surrogacy stress. She smiled at her husband before answering his question, "It wasn't bad actually. Those first few shifts were a little eye opening for me because I'd been away from it for so long but now it's feeling more natural again. It's all coming back to me and being on shift again is much easier now."

"I'm glad to hear that," Matt said with a smile. He knew she had needed something else to take her mind off all the surrogacy stuff but he missed her when she wasn't home at night while she was on shift. It was only a day, two at most, per week though so they were just fine with this schedule for a little while. Gabby didn't see herself going back to the paramedic life full time but for now, it was helping her a great deal so they were making it work and dealing with it week by week. She heard the timer go off on the oven and turned back to her husband briefly to fill him in on one other thing.

"I actually ran into the guys from Squad 3 on a call last night and they asked us to join the 51 crew at Molly's tonight if you're feeling up for it," Gabby said as she stood up to go turn the oven off and finish making dinner. Matt nodded back at her and said, "That'd be fun. I think we could use a night out after the events of this morning."

"Definitely babe," Gabby said as she leaned over to give Matt a quick kiss on the forehead. "We can go after we finish dinner."

"Sounds perfect," he said with a big smile. Gabby smiled again and went off to finish dinner while Matt went to the desk and picked up their surrogacy folder to look once again at the list of surrogate names. Was the person meant to carry their child even on this list? Matt sighed as he held the folder and wondered what was going to happen next in this crazy process.

* * *

Later the following week, Gabby and Matt waited anxiously in Dr. K's office for their appointment feeling a little bit calmer but still uncertain about the crinkle in their plans. Their doctor had called them earlier in the week to let them know that she'd found some other options for them on the surrogate list and that she would be ready to give them that information at their appointment. Matt and Gabby had scoured their own list at home but there weren't any new names on that list, so they were eager to hear what Dr. K had to offer from all her research. They looked up as the doctor entered the office. She greeted them warmly and then jumped right into the point of their appointment that day.

"All right guys," she began as she folded her hands in front of her, "Our plans took a bit of a hit last week with 'she who shall not be named' throwing our process out of whack but I think I actually may have found the perfect surrogate for you."

"Really?" Gabby asked with a start. She and Matt weren't prepared for that type of information. They thought they were going to be given a whole new list to go through so this was unexpected. "Who is she? How come we didn't know about her before?"

The doctor pulled out some paperwork and gave it to the couple before continuing with her explanation, "Her name is Lila Burton. She's lived in or around Chicago all her life but has mainly been out in the suburbs which is why I didn't have her on my original list. I'd only included women in the city at the time so she slipped through the cracks for me. She's married with an adorable son of her own, he's two years old, and she's actually been wanting to be a surrogate for a while which you'll understand better once you learn more of her story. One of my colleagues is her OB/GYN, that's who gave me Lila's information, and after speaking with her on the phone yesterday, I think she might be just the person we've been hoping to find in this whole process. I asked my colleague if she would pass your information on to her and once she read all about you two, she actually asked if she could meet you right away."

"Wow," Matt said as he and Gabby exchanged surprised looks while reading over a few lines of her profile. They didn't see anything that made them feel anxious about her so Matt said to the doctor, "If you feel that strongly about this woman, then we'd love to meet her as well."

"I'm glad you said that because she's on her way here right now," Dr. K said with a smile. Gabby and Matt's faces grew even more shocked by that announcement but the doctor gave them some reassurance right away, "Lila is a wonderful woman, there's nothing in her history that made me even a little anxious about going through this process, and I think you guys will like her a lot. I don't want to give away her story to you because I'd rather let her tell it to you once she gets here but she's pretty remarkable. I told my secretary to alert me once she arrives so all we have to do now is wait."

"OK," Gabby said with a little anxiety in her voice. "I hope you're right because going through that entire interview process all over again sounds like a nightmare."

"I agree," Dr. K said with a reassuring smile. "I have my fingers and my toes crossed that this goes well because if it does, we won't lose as much time." The doctor looked like she was going to say something else to them but her phone buzzed and after answering it, she turned back to Matt and Gabby with two simple words, "She's here."

Matt and Gabby stood up, suddenly feeling more anxious than they'd had in a long time, and Dr. K went over to them to pat them both on the back. The three of them left the office to go meet Lila and begin their interview with her. Gabby and Matt held hands as they left the office. They were hoping for the best but they were also prepared for the worst.

* * *

Dr. K greeted the attractive dark haired woman who was waiting in her lobby with a smile and introduced her to Matt and Gabby before the four of them went to one of the conference rooms to begin their interview. They made some small talk as they settled into their seats and strangely enough, seeing that this woman was just as anxious as they were made Gabby and Matt feel a little bit calmer about this interview. Dr. K began the process by asking Lila to tell her story to the couple so they could learn more about her. Lila gave Matt and Gabby what she hoped was a friendly smile and began her story.

"Well," she began as she settled more into her seat, "I'll begin with where I'm at in my life right now and then explain why becoming a surrogate means so much to me if that's okay."

Matt and Gabby nodded and Lila continued with her story, "My name is Lila Burton. I'm currently working part time as a paralegal in a law firm while I prepare to finish law school. I'm married to my high school sweetheart, his name is Landon, he's a history teacher and one of the football coaches at our area high school. We have a son, Michael, who is two years old and the greatest light in our life. He was also a bit of a surprise for us because we didn't originally plan on having kids until after I finished law school. He kind of threw a wrench into our life but he's adorable and we've managed to work things out."

Lila shifted in her seat for a moment before continuing her story, "I've actually wanted to be a surrogate since I was in high school. I actually told Landon about that when we were first dating and when it didn't totally scare him off, I knew that I had a keeper. We got married when we were in college and we always talked about when we could fit that process into our lives. Everyone that I had talked to about surrogacy said that the most successful ones were women who had already had a baby so we figured I would wait until after I finished law school and we had our own child before offering to become one for another couple. Obviously Michael threw a wrench into those plans!"

"The best laid plans always seem to go sideways, don't they?" Gabby said with an amused smile thinking about how her and Matt's plans had always seemed to go sideways over the years. Lila gave Gabby a big smile and nodded. She was happy that they understood where she was coming from and went back to explaining her story.

"Michael, as wonderful as he is, not only threw my hopes to be a surrogate into flux but he also threw our financial plans out of whack. We were hoping to buy our first house together but we found that we couldn't afford it after a wedding, college loans, and all the costs involved with having a baby. We were barely keeping ourselves above water for that first year of Michael's life so we finally sat down several months ago and re-evaluated our lives. We decided that now was the perfect time for me to try and become a surrogate because the money would go a long way towards us having that down payment for our own place and it would also help offset my law school costs. My hope is that I can time this whole thing out just right so that I can finish some of my law school classes while I'm pregnant. I've always been a good student so school wouldn't be any added stress and I've already been pregnant once so I know what types of things to expect. That's why I decided to apply and see if I could help a deserving couple out by carrying their child for them. I felt like this was the perfect time not only for me and my family but maybe for the couple as well."

Gabby and Matt were very impressed with this young woman. She had a great perspective on her life and they could also tell that she was going to be a very articulate lawyer someday. They hadn't heard anything from her that gave them pause but as they exchanged a look and pointed at two things on Lila's profile, they realized that they still had two questions that she hadn't answered yet. Gabby sat up a bit and decided to ask the first one, "I think you've answered almost any question that we could have asked but there's two things we still don't know about you yet. One is more of a curiosity than anything else but this one is kind of important for us…why is being a surrogate so important to you?"

Lila gave them a big smile before answering, "I blame my oldest sister. She's nine years older than me and I watched from a young age as she and her husband found out that she wouldn't be able to carry a child for them. I saw how devastated they were and how much it affected their relationship. We were all worried that this was going to tear them apart but they found out about surrogacy and decided they wanted to try that before going the adoption route. My brother in law is an only child so having his own kids was something that was really important to him. They had their struggles and it was a long process for them but eventually, they found a wonderful woman to carry their baby for them and now I have a wonderful niece and nephew that I adore more than anything. I knew in my soul that there were other couples out there going through the same thing that my sister and brother in law went through, so I made a promise to myself when I was about seventeen that I wanted to be a surrogate for a deserving couple too. Kind of like a 'pay it forward' moment if you will."

"That's wonderful," Matt said as Gabby nodded in agreement, "And honestly, that alone tells us more about the type of woman you are than anything else we've read or heard today."

Lila smiled warmly at the couple in front of her. She was curious to hear more about Gabby and Matt's story but she also wanted to make sure she had first answered all their questions. She noticed Matt wanted to ask another question so she turned to him as he began speaking, "I think our other question is the one that's more of a curiosity. What stood out and made you want to meet us?"

"You guys reminded me so much of my sister and brother in law," Lila said quietly. "I saw their pain up close, our whole family felt it as they struggled with what to do and how to move forward with their life, and when I read your profile, my heart hurt so much for you guys over everything that you'd already been through on top of the pregnancy problems. I also remembered something that my sister's surrogate said to me when she was carrying their first baby. She told me that seeing the looks on their faces every time the baby moved, when they saw sonogram pictures, or especially when the baby was born…all that stuff gave her heart more joy than she could have ever imagined because it reminded her of how much she loved her own kids. Being a parent is a life changing experience and knowing that there are couples out there facing the fact that this might not happen for them, I just couldn't handle thinking about my sister never being a mom and it made me more determined to help. After reading your profile and seeing all the things that you've overcome over the years, I wouldn't be able to live with myself without offering to help you guys. I remember how excited and emotional I got when my son was born and I know, I just *know*, that I should be able to carry your child for you. I want you guys to feel all those emotional moments about your own baby just like I've felt for my own son."

Gabby found herself getting emotional and Matt reached over to hold her hand. She saw that his eyes were a bit misty too. Hearing a virtual stranger say such nice things about them, especially after what had happened the previous week, had really brightened their moods and they finally felt some of the weight come off their shoulders. Maybe Dr. K was right and this woman was the right person to carry their child. They turned back to Lila and the four of them fell into easy conversation as Gabby and Matt began answering her questions. As the three of them got more comfortable with each other, the four of them were hoping that this was the beginning of a special experience for all of them.

* * *

 _***I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and liked getting to know Gabby & Matt's surrogate choice! Some big things are going to be happening in the next chapter (Good? Bad? You'll have to keep reading to find out...) and if everything goes well, it should be posted while I'm on my holiday break from work this week (its Thanksgiving week here in the USA). Fingers crossed that I can get it done! Thanks again for all the support! =)_


	9. Chapter 9

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks again for all the love and support! So, there's a lot that happens in this chapter, I've been building up to this one for a while now, and since it got me emotional just writing it, I encourage you to maybe have some Kleenex handy while you read it. Just a thought…anyway, I hope you enjoy this update and please don't get too upset with me!_

* * *

 _ **Summer 2022**_

"One of these days, we'll actually get to finish a meal," Sylvie said with a smirk as she sat next to Gabby in ambulance 61. The two of them had been called away from their lunch to help a family whose son was having a seizure, and then, when they were finally on their way back to the firehouse, they'd been called away again, this time to a house where a grandmother had fallen down the stairs. They were sitting outside Chicago Med after dropping the grandmother off and weren't sure if they should go get food somewhere or attempt to go back to the house and finish the lunch they had left behind almost four hours ago. The two of them decided to let a coin decide their meal fate for them. Heads meant heading back to the firehouse and tails meant stopping for food on the way back. Gabby grinned and gave Sylvie an amused look as she flipped the coin. It landed on heads which meant heading back to the house to find food there, if there was any left for them.

"I don't remember finishing a lot of meals when I last worked at 51," Gabby said with a laugh as she started up the ambo. "Don't you keep food in the rig anymore? We had a bunch of stuff stashed in here before I left but I don't see anything in here now."

"We got in trouble for keeping food in here a while ago," Sylvie said wistfully as Gabby drove the ambo out of the parking lot. "They found some very stale crackers and rotten oranges during an inspection last year that we'd totally forgotten about so we stopped keeping anything in here."

"Whoops," Gabby said with a laugh as she maneuvered the ambo down the street. "Maybe we need to keep some food in a bag that we always take in with us so that we have it when we're starving but it doesn't get left in the rig."

"Sounds good to me," Sylvie said with a smile, "and I think the first thing we need to do for this new plan is to raid the kitchen at the house."

"Deal," Gabby said as the two women shared a laugh and settled in for their drive back to the firehouse.

Gabby had never planned to be back working full time at her old firehouse. She was perfectly content as a paramedic floater and filling in a day or two a week with whatever firehouse needed temporary help. House 51 had run into a problem in January though when their former PIC eloped with her longtime boyfriend and the two of them moved out of the area. Chief Boden had requested Gabby a few times as a floater because he trusted her and she had already worked well with Sylvie, and when their original new PIC choice didn't end up working out, Boden went to Gabby personally and asked her to come back full time. She and Matt talked about it for a long time because that wasn't something she'd ever imagined being part her life again and eventually, Gabby said that she would come back but not as the permanent PIC which Boden said was fine just as long as she could give them a few months of stability while they worked behind the scenes to find their permanent PIC.

Gabby and Sylvie arrived back at the house to see their plates missing from the table. They were about to be very upset with the guys until Herrmann pointed them in the direction of the fridge where their plates had been put so they could eat when they got back. As the two of them headed towards the kitchen, Gabby shook her head at the sight of Herrmann in his lieutenant shirt. She still couldn't get used to him being the lieutenant of truck 81 although she was getting better about it now that she'd been back at 51 for several months. The two women were about to heat up their food in the microwave when they heard a familiar voice come into the firehouse.

"So, I heard a rumor that you had two hungry paramedics here?" Matt said with a grin as he entered the firehouse with two take out orders of Chinese food. The guys all stood up to greet their former captain while Gabby and Sylvie headed straight for the food. Matt laughed as they grabbed for the bags but Gabby did stopp for a brief moment to give her husband a big kiss and hug as she thanked him for bringing dinner.

"Hey captain," Sev said with a big smile as he patted his friend on the back. "What brings you by besides feeding your wife? How did you even know they'd be looking for food?"

"Gabby and I were texting while you guys were eating lunch," Matt said while he worked his way around the room greeting everyone. "She told me when they got the first call and then our radio picked up the second call as she was texting me again so I knew they hadn't been back here to finish eating yet. After seeing how much time had gone by, I figured I would drop off some food on my way home from work."

"And we appreciate it more than you will ever know Casey," Sylvie said as she munched on an eggroll at the table where she and Gabby had opened up all the boxes and started eating with a vengeance. Matt laughed as Gabby made all sorts of hilarious faces while eating her dinner and Sylvie acted like it was the first meal she'd had in days. The guys all made small talk for a few moments until they heard the chief's voice from the doorway.

"Hey there captain," Chief Boden said with a smile as he heard his former captain's voice in the common room. "Nice to see you Casey."

"Hey Chief," Matt said as he went over to shake Boden's hand. "Great to see you too. Thanks for not minding my random visit tonight."

"You're always welcome here," the chief said warmly and Matt gave him a grateful smile as he moved back over to the sitting area in the common room.

"Are you sure this is just a visit to drop off food?" Otis asked from the couch. "You're not here to yell at us about something, are you?!"

Matt laughed as he sat back down next to his friends. When he originally took his current job at headquarters, his coworker Tom had gotten house 51 on his firehouse list and they'd decided to keep it that way since Matt wasn't too far removed from his time there and it kept things from getting too complicated for everyone. Now that more time had passed though, and Gabby was working at their former house again, Tom had offered to give the firehouse assignment to Matt since he had even stronger connections there now and Matt had graciously accepted that offer. So far, he hadn't had any reason to visit his old stomping grounds but he did actually have something to pass along to them during this visit.

"Originally I was just bringing food," Matt said as he stood up again to hand the chief an envelope that he'd actually forgotten about until Otis made his comment, "But I was actually asked to pass along some paperwork to you Chief so I brought that with me too."

"Thanks Matt," Boden said as he looked at the manila envelope in his hand. He gave Matt a questioning look and Matt shrugged as he sat back down before saying, "I honestly don't know what's in it. I was just asked to drop it off since I was coming here anyway."

"How are things at headquarters?" Cruz asked Matt as the Chief headed back to his office. "I hope things are better now that Grissom has been gone for a while."

"Things are way better," Matt replied as the others all shared in Cruz's look of relief. "He really made a mess over there but everyone is much happier and things seem to have settled down now. I know the houses in my jurisdiction haven't had nearly as many issues as they had when I first got hired so that's an improvement for sure."

"Thank goodness," Herrmann said as Gabby and Sylvie came over to join the rest of the group after finishing their food and putting their leftovers in the fridge. Sylvie sat in a chair at the table behind the couch with Cruz and Tony while Gabby sat next to Matt on the loveseat. He patted her on the leg as she relaxed and rested her head briefly on his shoulder while the others all made mock 'Aww' sounds at the couple. Matt threw a pillow at Severide for starting it and everyone cracked up laughing.

"Hey, have you guys heard anything more about your baby yet?" Stella asked Matt and Gabby. The others all perked up hoping there was good news on that front. Gabby and Matt exchanged a look as they tried to figure out how to answer their friend's question.

The surrogacy process as a whole had not gone the way they had hoped although no one was giving up on anything yet. They had gone through all the appropriate paperwork with Lila and after all that got settled between them, they had finally started the medical process of creating Matt and Gabby's embryos and then implanting them in Lila for her to carry the baby for them. The first attempt had been back in December but to everyone's disappointment, Lila didn't end up becoming pregnant for some reason. They were in the process of starting it all over again later that winter when Lila fell ill with pneumonia and they had to stop so that she could get better. The illness ended up being quite bad and they weren't able to start up the process again until early spring. They had finally been able to implant some embryos again but were still waiting to see if she got pregnant this time.

"We have an appointment next week to see if the implantation took this time," Gabby said at first, "And honestly, we have no idea what to expect at this point. Dr. K still isn't sure why things didn't work out the first time and then with Lila getting so sick, we have no idea how that's going to affect the whole process. So, we don't really have any answers yet because it's still wait and see for us right now."

"I don't know how you guys haven't gone crazy yet," Herrmann said with a sympathetic smile. Everyone at the house knew how hard this entire process had been for the Caseys and they were all desperately hoping for some good news soon. They knew how badly Gabby and Matt wanted to be parents so watching them go through struggle after struggle was really hard for them, especially since they couldn't do much of anything to help them out.

"Oh, we have," Gabby said with a small laugh. Matt laughed with her as he patted her knee again. "We've just gotten better at having all of our breakdowns in the comfort of our own home instead of in public. Then if things get too emotional, the cat is always there to help make things better and if we get too loud, she runs from the room like her tail is on fire which is our clue to chill out and breathe."

"Yeah, I think that's proof that you guys should've gotten a cat years ago," Severide said with a laugh as the others joined in, Gabby and Matt laughing the hardest. He wasn't too far off in that assessment with the two of them being quite emotional and passionate in their respective ways. Who knows how many fights could have been avoided had they found a cat like Carson earlier in their relationship.

The group of friends continued to chat and catch up on everyone's various life events until the bells went off alerting everyone to a factory fire. They all said their goodbyes to Matt as they went off to get themselves ready for the rescue and as the trucks, ambulance, and Chief's SUV headed out into the night, Matt watched silently from the truck bay. He still felt a little sad that this wasn't part of his life anymore but he was also thankful that he had found new satisfaction and a purpose within his role at headquarters. He smiled briefly before getting into his own truck and heading home for the night.

* * *

Later that week, Gabby and Sylvie were back on shift and thankful that they'd actually gotten to finish a meal for once before heading out on any calls. They were parked not too far from the lake shore, neither of them anxious to go back to the house, sipping on lemonades that they'd stopped to get after their last call. The house was having one of those days where the stress level was a bit high and the two women wanted no part of it. Cruz and Otis were in the middle of yet another prank with the first shift guys, Severide and Stella were in the middle of a fight which had made things awkward for everyone since they were all friends with both of them, and Herrmann was currently running all the truck guys through a series of drills because he was frustrated with his own kids and needed to burn off steam.

Gabby was sitting with her head back on the headrest and Sylvie noticed when her friend let out a big sigh. She gave her a sympathetic smile and offered up some encouragement, "I think things are going to go your way this time Gabby. I just have a good feeling for you and Casey and this baby."

"We'll see," Gabby said without even moving her head. "I think we're both so exhausted by the whole process at this point that we don't know what to think anymore."

"It has to work this time," Sylvie said with a nod. "You guys have been through so much stuff that this just has to be the right time for you now. I'm gonna keep sending positive thoughts into the atmosphere for you guys."

Gabby smiled at her friend as Sylvie smiled back and gave her arm a pat. She was SO glad that she and Sylvie had been able to patch up their differences after she'd returned home from Puerto Rico. She hated being on bad terms with anyone so the two of them working things out meant so much to Gabby. Sylvie had been their biggest cheerleader throughout this entire baby process and it meant the world to Gabby that she was always there for her. She was about to ask Sylvie a question when they heard a call come over their radio. Gabby put the question out of her mind and started up the ambo as the two of them mentally prepared themselves for their next call.

The two women pulled up to an apartment complex and as they gathered up their gear to attend to the two gunshot victims that were in the bottom floor apartment, Gabby suddenly had an uneasy feeling. Sylvie picked up on that and the two women exchanged a concerned look. They took a good look at their surroundings before entering the building to find their victims and the uneasy feeling didn't go away as they walked into the hallway.

Eventually a young man met them there to take them to the two victims and as they entered the apartment, they saw two men laying on the ground, one near the couch by the door and the other laying off to the side closer to the window. Sylvie went over to the window while Gabby stopped to check on the guy by the door. They were just about to assess the two victims when they heard some popping noises coming from outside and saw the glass window shatter in front of them. Suddenly Gabby felt two sharp pains in her left shoulder area and as she grabbed her arm and fell to her knees in pain, it was Sylvie who realized that they were being shot at from the outside. Gabby somehow managed to call for help on her walkie as the two of them ducked down and tried to figure out where the shots were coming from. Just then the noise grew louder and they were joined by three other men in the apartment who shot back at the men who were now standing outside near their ambo. The gunshot noises grew louder and louder and Gabby finally moved behind the couch to protect herself and try to assess her injuries. It felt like she'd been shot twice but it appeared that both shots had gone through her arm since she felt an exit wound for both of them. She was desperately trying to look and see if Sylvie was okay but she started having trouble focusing and soon, everything went black as Gabby passed out on the floor.

* * *

Matt and Tom were filing some recent paperwork and anxious to get home after having quite a boring week at work. Headquarters didn't have a lot going on at the moment and they were able to get caught up with their respective houses' requests relatively quickly that day. Matt was disappointed that Gabby's shift had fallen on what should have been a date night for them but they had made plans for dinner the following night instead which was fine with him. The two of them were anxious to have a nice night out to take their minds off their next appointment with Dr. K and the whole surrogacy process in general which they definitely needed after the last few months of stress and uncertainty.

The two men finally finished their filing and were sitting at their desks working when some calls started coming through on their radio. The two men enjoyed hearing about the various calls that their firehouses went on because it helped keep them in the loop for all the requests and updates that they got from their houses later, and honestly, it really did help them pass the time when the days started feeling slow. They had actually started a guessing game between each other for how the different situations played out and were impressed with how many times they got things pretty close.

They were half paying attention to their radio as they were reading up on some recent changes to the firefighter's handbook when a police call suddenly got Matt's attention. It was a call requesting police assistance for a gang related gunfight at an apartment complex in an area not far from firehouse 51. They were also requesting two more ambulances for several gunshot victims who were at the scene. Then the call confirmed Matt's worst nightmare…that ambulance 61 had responded to the call and gotten caught in the crossfire. They also needed immediate assistance according to the dispatcher and Matt's face went white at the completion of the call.

"Oh my God. Gabby…." Matt said with dread and shock in his voice as he suddenly stood up at his desk. Tom jumped up along with Matt and as the two men tried to process what they'd just heard, they were startled by Chief Walker suddenly showing up in their office. He gave Matt a concerned look before saying, "They're gonna take them to Med and if you leave now, hopefully you can beat the traffic and meet them there. Go. It's fine. We can handle things here for the rest of your shift."

Matt gave him a look of thanks even though he felt himself going into shock and as he gathered up his things and got out his truck keys, he happened to notice that almost everyone at headquarters was outside his office offering support and words of comfort to him. He gave them all a quick nod of thanks and ran out to his truck to get himself to Med all the while praying Gabby and Sylvie were all right.

* * *

Gabby woke up groggily and for a moment, she had no idea where she was but eventually, it all came flooding back to her and she figured out that she was at Chicago Med. She moaned briefly and opened her eyes when she felt someone grab onto her right hand. She breathed again when the concerned blue eyes of her husband were the ones staring back at her. She tightened her grip on his hand and blinked a few times to get her eyes to focus better. Matt didn't let go of her hand but sat down next to her on the bed and also let out a deep breath of relief that his wife was alive.

"Hey babe," he said quietly to her as he gently stroked her cheek with his other hand and gave her a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot twice," Gabby said with a groan as she noticed her left arm in a sling and also realized that her shoulder and arm were tightly wrapped up. "How bad was the damage?"

"It could have been worse," Matt said trying to make her feel better. "You did get shot twice but both of them were through and through so the damage wasn't too bad. They did have to do a little surgery to repair some minor damage but eventually you'll be good as new. You'll have to be off work for several weeks though so you can heal up."

"I can live with being off work for a while," Gabby said with a wry smile, "I actually have an amazing husband who is well educated on how to pass the time while being unable to work so I think I can handle it."

"He sounds like a keeper," Matt said with a grin. Gabby smiled back and Matt leaned down to give her a few tender kisses before resting his forehead against hers. The two of them stayed that way for a while, both very aware that this incident could have turned out way worse for them, and eventually, Matt leaned back on the bed as Gabby sighed and rested her head on the pillow. Suddenly, she sat up again and gave Matt a scared look.

"Matt," she said with a tremble in her voice. "How's Sylvie? Is she okay? I couldn't tell before I passed out at the scene. Did they get her here too?!"

"Whoa," Matt said as he leaned Gabby back onto the bed. "Calm down babe. They took her into surgery right when they got here but she was alive. She also got shot, I think they said two or three times, but apparently she was closer to the guns so her injuries are more serious than yours. Last time I checked she was still in surgery. Sev said he would text me if anything changed and I haven't heard anything from him so I'm taking that as a good sign."

"OK," Gabby said as she let out a breath and tried to get her emotions under control again. She couldn't believe their casual talk in the ambo had turned into this horrible nightmare. Matt squeezed Gabby's hand again and patted her arm as he tried to comfort her and calm her down. Eventually she dozed off and Matt nervously watched her sleep all the while hoping for good news about their friend.

Several hours later, the hospital allowed several of Matt and Gabby's friends from the firehouse to visit her after finally being satisfied that they had Gabby's injuries completely under control. Matt was relieved to have the distraction and support from their friends and Gabby was just happy to see everyone. Gabby spent some time filling them in on what had happened on the call while Matt told them how he found out about the incident but it was apparent that they were all worried sick about Sylvie.

The conversation eventually got quiet as everyone's anxiety grew while they waited for more news about their friend and soon, Dr. Will Halstead stopped by Gabby's room with a status report from the surgical team. He cleared his throat before he began his update, "As you guys know, Sylvie's injuries were quite severe and while we were able to stop some of the bleeding, we weren't able to stop all of it. Um, we did everything we could, we fought like hell for her…but I'm sorry to say that Sylvie didn't make it. Her injuries were just too severe. I'm so sorry guys."

Dr. Halstead's voice cracked as he gave the news to everyone and one by one, the shock, disbelief, and sadness overtook the room. Chief Boden stood stoic at first but his eyes eventually teared up and soon everyone else was crying quietly as they tried to process the shock of losing their friend. Otis and Cruz were leaning each other, Stella and Sev were holding each other tightly (their fight long forgotten), Herrmann was sitting quietly alone in a chair, and the others were all shaking their heads while passing around a box of Kleenex.

Matt stood quietly next to Gabby as the news sunk in for both of them. Obviously he didn't know Sylvie as well as his wife had known her but he'd always liked and respected her so he was having a hard time fighting back his own tears. He was heartbroken for sure but also more worried about Gabby who was still sitting in shock as she tried to process the information. Soon he saw her lower lip start to quiver and as she started shaking her head back and forth, he sat down on the bed and grabbed her hand again. Gabby couldn't stop saying, "No" over and over again and eventually, she couldn't stop the heavy sobs from pouring out of her. Matt gathered her gently into his arms as she cried her heart out for her lost friend, all the while wishing he could do more to comfort her and eventually allowing his own tears to fall. The two of them let all their emotions out, along with all their friends in the room, and wondered if their world would ever feel safe again after this horrible incident.

* * *

Matt held Gabby's hand as they walked from the grave site towards the parking lot. She had handled Sylvie's funeral better than he thought she would but her overall emotional state hadn't been this fragile since they lost Shay all those years ago. He knew he needed to keep an eye on her so he hadn't let her out of his sight since she'd been released from the hospital the previous weekend. For once, Gabby didn't protest as Matt did everything he could to take care of her. She knew she was emotionally exhausted and having someone take care of her right now wasn't such a bad thing since she was pretty sure she was incapable of taking care of herself at all.

Sylvie's parents had wanted to have their daughter's funeral sooner rather than later so they'd planned it all out for the week right after the shooting. The visitation had been the previous evening and the funeral and burial had taken place that next morning. Everyone from firehouse 51 had shown up to support Sylvie's family along with several folks from the CPD (including an extremely upset Antonio) and the various hospitals in the area. Her parents were so appreciative for all the love and support that their daughter's friends had shown to them. The funeral had been extremely emotional but also very uplifting as everyone shared memories of their fallen friend.

Of course, the timing that had worked so well for Sylvie's family had been horrible for Matt and Gabby with the funeral falling on the same day as their next appointment with Dr. K and Lila. Matt had suggested that they put it off until the following week but Gabby was adamant about keeping it that day. She figured if the news was good, it would help cheer them up and give them something positive to hold onto after losing their friend, but if the news wasn't good, they were all ready bummed out so it would be much easier to handle finding out about bad news if it was on the same day.

The two of them went to the funeral reception for a little while and made sure to offer condolences to the Brett parents but eventually they excused themselves so they wouldn't be late for their appointment. As they were pulling into the parking lot of Dr. K's office building, Gabby let out a big sigh and shocked Matt with a comment, "If we happen to get more bad news today, then I would really like to take a break from this process and not try it again."

"What?" Matt said with a start after parking the truck. "Where is this coming from?"

"I mean…I don't want to stop forever," Gabby said quickly after realizing that she'd just thrown Matt into a panic. "It's just… this has been such an emotional process for us and now with me getting shot and the firehouse losing Sylvie, I just really need a break from all of these super charged emotions. I don't think I can handle any more disappointment for a while."

"Are you sure?" Matt asked with concern and worry all over his face.

"Yeah," Gabby said quietly. "I still believe that this is the right process for us but if we get more bad news today, I just…I'm gonna need some time to wrap my head around everything and get past it."

"OK," Matt said as he patted her back. "Let's go find out the results and then we can just take things from there." Gabby nodded and the two of them got out of the truck and went into the building for their appointment.

Lila and Dr. K were patiently waiting for Matt and Gabby and their hearts broke when they saw the couple enter the room. They knew that things had been rough for the couple but they had no idea how badly until that moment. Dr. K came over and gave each of them a hug before settling down next to Lila. She turned to Matt and Gabby and asked them, "Are you guys sure you want to go through with this today? We're both okay with postponing it until next week."

"No, we're good," Gabby said quietly as she tried to give them a grin. "It's been a very long week but we need to find out if it worked this time so we can figure out what comes next for us one way or the other." She paused for a moment before continuing with a sad smile, "Sylvie was actually encouraging me about this whole thing right before she died. She was convinced that we would get good news this time and there's a part of me that really wants to know if she was right. I need to know if things are finally gonna go our way. I owe her that."

Dr. K and Lila both nodded with Lila patting Gabby's arm for support. The doctor took the bloodwork that she needed and went off to run the tests while everyone else made some small talk. She returned to the room several minutes later and immediately sat down at the ultrasound machine. Lila perked up as the doctor prepared her belly for a sonogram and Matt and Gabby anxiously watched and wondered what was going on.

Dr. K eventually had everything ready and as she ran the transducer over Lila's abdomen, she finally found her words and gave them an update, "So, we just might have some good news to report but I wanted to do an ultrasound right away just to make sure because I promised that we wouldn't take any more chances with being wrong and…" Suddenly an image appeared on the screen and Gabby, Matt, and Lila all gasped as Dr. K finally let out a big sigh while smiling bigger than she had in months. She kept on grinning as she continued her update, "It appears that we finally have a little baby Casey on the way!"

"Oh my gosh," Gabby said with shock and awe as Matt shook his head and tried to process actually getting some good news for a change. Lila squealed with excitement and she pulled Gabby over to give her a big hug. The room was soon full of happy tears and laughter as the four of them let the news sink in. Matt pulled Gabby into a giant hug and the two of them couldn't stop laughing even through all their happy tears. Dr. K couldn't stop smiling while watching the scene around her and then she noticed something on the monitor and got an idea.

"You know what, it's still a little early but I think I just might be able to do one more thing for you guys." She adjusted a few things on the machine and moved the transducer slightly on Lila's belly and soon, a beautiful sound filled the room, one that Gabby and Matt had been waiting for years to hear.

It was the sound of their baby's heartbeat.

* * *

 _***OK, so I hope the good news at the end made up for the sad news but I promise once again that there is a method to my madness! This has all been in my outline since the very start and I promise it will make sense in the overall arc of the story. Thanks once again for all the support! =)_


	10. Chapter 10

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks again for your reviews, comments, and support for this story! I know I took you all by surprise in that last chapter with Sylvie dying but I'm glad that the baby news helped take some of the sting out of it. That was always my plan! Anyway, this chapter will hopefully answer another big question for you guys related to Dawsey's future and I really hope you enjoy it. Your reviews lately have been SOOO sweet so please keep those coming because they really help my motivation! =)  
_

 _ **December 2022**_

Gabby was in the middle of planning for dinner when she decided to sit down at the dining room table to catch up on some things online. They were having Lila, her husband Landon, and their son Michael over for dinner that night and she wanted to make sure she had enough food for everyone. She finally decided to plan for Mexican food and have all the fixings for tacos, fajitas, salad, and burritos so everyone could get what they wanted from several options. It also wouldn't require her to cook too much that night. She browned up some ground beef and put that in one crock pot with taco seasoning and then put some shredded grilled chicken in the other crock pot. She got the rest of the fixings together and stored them in the fridge, dinner wasn't for another hour or so, and finally sat down at her computer to get some things done.

Almost an hour had gone by when Gabby got up to finish making dinner and she couldn't remember the last time she'd had so many tabs open on her laptop. She was doing some online Christmas shopping on one website, looking for baby stuff on another site, had the Zillow site open to look at a house that Matt had called her about earlier in the day, her Facebook page was open because a friend from Puerto Rico had sent her a message, and she also had her email open to read an email from Dr. K. She wasn't normally this much of a multitasker when she was on her computer but her and Matt had a lot going on right now and she was trying to keep up with everything.

Life had gotten slightly chaotic for them once they found out that they were finally expecting a baby. They'd immediately invited Lila and her husband over for dinner so they could talk about how things were going to go and the two couples were happy that they worked things out easily and got along so well. Gabby and Matt planned to meet with Lila once a week just to touch base about how things were going with the baby and to plan out all of the doctor appointments. Gabby was still struggling with the fact that she wasn't carrying her and Matt's baby, but Lila was such a sweetheart and she was doing everything she could to make this a good experience for them. The appointment where they found out the sex of the baby was their favorite moment so far because Lila never went through that process with her own son (she and her husband had decided to be surprised). They all got to enjoy that moment together and Gabby thought Matt was going to run around the hospital screaming and crying when they found out they were having a baby boy. He had never said anything to her before but he admitted on the way home from the hospital that he would have been happy with either one but had *really* been hoping for a son.

Gabby turned the crock pots on low and finished getting out all the fixings from the fridge, Matt would be home soon and Lila and her family would be coming over shortly, and she felt her mind wandering to the other big thing that had occupied her thoughts for the last few months: Sylvie's death and how it had affected the two of them. She still missed her friend and ambo partner so much and couldn't believe she'd lost yet another friend to violence while on the job. The weeks following her death had been very dark for her, even though the happy baby news had helped, and after her own gunshot injuries healed, she'd been unable to return to work at the CFD. She just couldn't face going back out on an ambulance after losing two of her best friends while working on it. She'd resumed teaching classes at the academy in the fall which hadn't helped her heart heal much but had helped her get past the worst of the pain. She never imagined that she would lose another friend to violence in the city and after a long discussion about how and where they want to raise their son, Matt and Gabby talked seriously about the possibility of moving out of the city. Two other gang related crimes had happened not far from their old firehouse which had rattled them even more, so they started house hunting about two months ago. It started off as a fun experience for them, they were both big fans of the HGTV shows and loved looking at all the different houses, but they weren't having much luck finding a house they could afford right now. Their finances were stretched about as thin as they could go with the baby and most of the houses they liked were out of their price range. Matt had finally found an amazing fixer upper house in the Glencoe area during his lunch break that day and had sent the link to Gabby for her to check it out. She really liked the layout of the home (it was a tri-level home with a ton of space and potential) and it was right on the lake which was something both of them were hoping for in their new home. The house needed quite a bit of work but they still had some time before the baby was born to get the main areas livable and then they would be able to do all the other work on their own time.

Gabby turned as she heard the door open to the kitchen and Matt came rushing in apologizing for being late. Gabby smiled and shook her head at him, he wasn't late at all, and told him that Lila and her family weren't even there yet. He dropped off all his stuff on their desk and then came over to give her a big hug and kiss. He had been so supportive and loving to her as she worked through processing Sylvie's death and when she went through her random struggles from time to time, he'd also given her all the space she needed to process everything and let her emotions out.

The couple snuggled together for a moment in the kitchen. They had just celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary the previous week so they were still feeling warm and fuzzy from that celebration. Gabby could have stayed in her husband's arms all night but eventually she let Matt go so he could change clothes before dinner. She made sure everything was done and once she was finally satisfied that dinner was completely ready, Matt returned to the kitchen with a big smile. Dinner smelled amazing and he was starving but he was also hoping she'd checked out the house so they could talk about it.

"Did you get a chance to look at the house?" Matt said as he took a seat at the table.

"I did," Gabby said with a smile. She turned to face him as she continued, "It definitely needs a lot of work but it's a great house. It has all the space we were looking for and I love that it's so close to the lake. That's an added bonus!"

"I thought so too," Matt said excitedly. "We can do all the work and repairs for any house but that location was the biggest selling point for me. You can't move a lake to your house unless you're a multibillionaire which we are definitely not!"

Gabby laughed and nodded at her husband, "Yeah, especially right now. I loved everything about it though. Do you really think that we'll have enough time to get the main areas at least livable before the baby comes?"

"Yeah, I think so," Matt said as he cocked his head before continuing, "but I really need to see it in person to be completely sure. I went ahead and set up an appointment with the realtor for Saturday afternoon if you're up for it. They're having an Open House on Sunday but I really want to see it without anyone else there. I know I'm gonna have some specific questions about the construction and repair work."

"That works great for me," Gabby said. "I'm excited to check it out. Are you sure it's not gonna be too far of a commute for you? I mean, that area is really pretty but you could end up having an hour commute to work on really bad traffic days. I don't want to see you get pulled away from me and our son for even longer amounts of time due to a long commute."

"Yeah," Matt said with a frown, "That was something that initially bothered me too but I think it will work. I mean, I did get a slight job change today that will have me driving around a bit more and not having to go to headquarters every day so I can almost make my own schedule on some days…"

"Wait…what?!" Gabby exclaimed as she came over to Matt at the table. He grinned at her and nodded as he explained what happened at work, "I'm still a communication specialist there but they also want me to join a team of officers that will interact more in person with the various firehouses. I would be planning official visitations with the houses in certain areas and once there, I would help them with training, planning, organization, and execution of all our rules and regulations. The commissioner discovered over this last year that too many of the houses aren't following all the regulations that they're supposed to anymore, so they want some captains to go in and help them out. They picked four captains to be part of this team so it was quite an honor to be asked to do it."

"That's amazing babe!" Gabby said while still smiling. "Will this change your work hours though? Can we handle that sort of change with our baby coming in a few months?"

"My hours actually won't change too much," Matt said, "That was something I asked them about prior to accepting the offer. I wasn't willing to make that big of a change to my job if my hours would be different but they said most of the visits will happen during the day with the occasional night sessions so they can see the second and third shift guys. They have a captain designated to work those hours though so I shouldn't have to do that very often, if at all. The biggest thing that made me accept the offer was the pay raise. I knew that the extra money would come in handy for us and since my hours aren't changing much, I figured you wouldn't mind if I accepted the offer so I did this afternoon."

"You were right because that's absolutely fine with me. Baby, I am SO proud of you!" Gabby said smiling as she gave Matt a huge hug. This promotion was quite the unexpected surprise but she was ecstatic that this job, one that he never would have even thought about doing a few years ago, had turned into something so positive and encouraging for him. The couple hugged for a moment longer and Gabby finally broke the hug to give him a big kiss which they would have continued for most of the evening had the sound of the doorbell not interrupted them. They broke apart then and went to greet Lila and her family so they could share the good news with them and enjoy a pleasant dinner together.

* * *

Matt was sitting on the couch staring at his laptop screen at the pictures he had taken of the house in Glencoe that they'd checked out that afternoon. The house itself definitely needed a lot of work but the potential for it to be an amazing forever home for them was all there. It was a very unique house which Gabby and Matt liked because it wasn't some cookie cutter house that looked like every other one in the neighborhood. The outside of it wasn't in horrible shape (although the roof needed some work) but there was old carpet in all three of the upstairs bedrooms, the basement floor needed to be replaced, the kitchen needed a big time upgrade (Gabby was adamant about that since she loved to cook so much), the sunroom and deck above it outside both needed some work, almost every room needed to be painted, and the bathrooms all needed to be redone. It was a huge amount of work but with Matt's construction background and both of them having a long standing desire to create their own forever home, they were excited about the possibilities this house presented to them. They were so in love with the house that they'd already put in an offer and were hoping to get a response from the seller before the open house the next day.

Gabby came into the living room from the kitchen where she'd gotten a glass of wine for herself and a fresh beer for Matt and sat down next to him on the couch. He thanked her for the beer and Gabby gave him a big smile.

"Baby boy was so animated at dinner tonight," she said as she settled into Matt's side. "It sounds crazy but I feel like he knows our voices and is trying to let us know that he's excited to meet us too."

"That's not crazy," Matt said after taking a sip of his beer. "Lila said that he moves around a lot when she's at home but never more than when we're all together. I think it makes her happy that he reacts well to our voices. Maybe all that talking we do to him is helping after all."

Gabby chuckled. As their little boy got bigger, their conversations to Lila's belly got longer and longer. It was a very good thing that she had so much patience with them because she never minded and just let them talk all they wanted to their little guy. Gabby smiled before replying, "I think it is helping. I want him to know our voices so he recognizes us when he's born. We're not with him all the time so I think this will help in the long run."

"Absolutely," Matt said with a firm nod and smile. He leaned over to give Gabby a quick kiss before turning back to his laptop. Gabby put her head onto his shoulder and they both spent a few moments looking through all the pictures of the house. They couldn't help smiling at the potential of this run down, tri-level house out by the lake to be their new home.

"I love this house Matt," Gabby said after sipping on her wine. "I mean, it's got a lot of things to update and fix but the shell of it is so perfect for us, I loved the land around it, and that view is amazing. Finding a house like that is something we've talked about for years so maybe it's meant to be."

"It is an incredible house," Matt agreed as they continued flipping through the pictures. "I can't believe the price either because even with all the work that needs done to it, it's a steal for that area. We could really make that house our own with some time and all that work. Do you really think we can handle all that work along with raising our son?"

"Yeah, I do," Gabby said with a smile, "and our little guy isn't going to be running around underfoot for a while so I think we could pull this off. We also have some time now to get the big stuff done before he gets here as long as we can actually get the house and get all the paperwork done quickly. If that happens, I really believe that we could get enough done to move in by the time our little guy is born."

"That's true," Matt said while grinning back at her. "I don't know if we'll hear back from the owners today or not, but they appeared very anxious to sell and they seemed to like us. That has to count for something, right?"

"I hope so," Gabby replied. "That kitchen…oh my gosh Matt, that kitchen size over there makes ours here look like it came out of a tiny house."

"It was pretty big," Matt agreed. "I liked the two car garage and the huge basement area that we can easily turn into a nice family room with a playroom off to the side for our little guy. It's a huge amount of space with limitless possibilities."

"I love that family room idea," Gabby said as they looked at the basement pictures. "Wow, if we do end up getting this house, this will be our last Christmas here in this apartment. That's weird to think about and it actually didn't even occur to me until just now."

"It will also be our last Christmas as a family of two," Matt said with a grin as he put the laptop down on the coffee table and turned to put an arm around his wife. "We get to celebrate with our little man next year which I still can't believe. We've waited for this for so long and now we're just a few months away from meeting him."

"Wow," Gabby said as she laid her head back on the couch while looking at Matt with a bit of awe. "Our little guy…we're really going to be a family of three soon. Three!"

"Three…for now," Matt said with a mischievous grin. "Now that we know how this whole process works, I really hope that we can try it again and maybe become a family of four someday."

"That would be amazing," Gabby said as she stroked Matt's cheek with her hand. Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Matt's phone ringing on the coffee table. They exchanged an anxious look when they noticed the number of their realtor on his caller ID and Matt cleared his throat and took a deep breath before answering his phone.

Gabby watched as her husband's face went from anxious to confused to surprised and finally back to normal while speaking to their realtor and when he hung up the phone, she had no idea what all had been said during the conversation. Matt put his phone back down on the table and turned to his wife. He tried to contain it but the smile he was holding in finally crept out and he gave the good news to his wife, "Babe, we are actually new home owners!"

"We got the house?!" Gabby exclaimed as she sat up on the couch. Matt nodded and the two of them jumped into each other's arms and celebrated the fact that they were going to be new home owners along with becoming new parents in this upcoming new year. As they relaxed back onto the couch, Gabby sighed happily as she allowed all of her excitement to come flowing out, "I can't believe that we actually found and got our dream house and we're also so close to meeting our little guy in a few months…I feel like all the troubles and problems that we've had to fight through over the last few years have all been worth it. We wouldn't be nearly as excited about all of these happy moments if we hadn't had to overcome so much stuff together over the years."

"I agree babe," Matt said as he moved closer to Gabby. "A new house, a new baby…this is all of our dreams coming true. We're finally going to be parents and hey, Herrmann was right. He told you once that your day was coming and now it's almost here."

Gabby smiled at the warm memory and after sharing a sweet kiss with her husband, the two of them settled in to watch the SNL Christmas special and enjoy a quiet evening together as they headed into their last holiday season as a family of two.

 _***So Dawsey has decided to move out of the city into a familiar sounding house and they also have a baby boy on the way…gee, I wonder what they name him, LOL =) Anyway, I hope this chapter was enjoyable for you guys and thanks once again for all the support! =)_


	11. Chapter 11

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks so much for your continued support and love for this story. It is much appreciated by this sometimes harried and stressed out writer! Sorry there was a long delay in getting this chapter out to you guys but between the holidays, work stress, and me getting sick, things have been a little hectic here. I also got a VERY rare shipping win over the holidays (the show was Timeless in case anyone else watches it) and I'm not gonna lie...I kind of lost my mind with happiness over that and got even more distracted from this story. I'll take those rare ship wins any time I can get them though which isn't often! Anyway, I think this is a chapter that many of you have been waiting anxiously for so I really hope you enjoy it and please take a few moments to let me know what you think about it in the reviews! =)_

* * *

 _ **March 2023**_

Gabby finished hammering a nail into the wall and then picked up a picture frame and placed it gently on the nail to hang it up there. She adjusted it slightly until she was satisfied that it was straight and then stepped back to admire her handywork. This was the ninth picture that she'd put up in the nursery that afternoon but thankfully they all looked straight even though she was exhausted beyond belief.

Life after the holidays had gotten extremely hectic for the Caseys as they were both preparing for their little guy, who was due any day now, and getting their new house fixed up enough for them to move in. The house part had been the more stressful thing for them since they were on a strict timeline of trying to get it ready before their due date but they were also anxious to meet their little boy so they were a bundle of nerves all the way around most days.

They'd been approved to buy their new house right before Christmas and after enjoying their last holiday season in their old apartment, Gabby and Matt had gotten right into planning for what all they needed to get done at the house before the baby's arrival. They'd completed all the paperwork to buy their house in record time thanks to really great house owners who were eager to sell and they were able to get into the house around January 14th which meant they only had about two months to get a lot of things done. They got right to work pulling up all the carpet in the house, tearing down cabinets in the kitchen, breaking through a wall that was closing off part of the kitchen, cleaning out the attic and basement areas, and painting almost the entire inside of the house. They were able to order and get new carpet installed in all the bedrooms (Gabby was adamant about not having cold feet in winter but they agreed to do hardwood in the rest of the house) and they had someone come and redo all the floors in the family room on the lower level and in the kitchen. They were also thankful to have a group of awesome friends who had spent several of their off days between shifts helping them with a lot of the work. They could have done without all the antics from Matt's former truck guys who spent much of their time goofing off with the cleaning supplies but they were still able to get the most important work done in the end which meant that Matt and Gabby could move into their new home on time.

They had only been in their house for a couple of weeks now and while they still had some improvements that they wanted to make, they were very happy with how things were going thus far. The house was warm and cozy and Gabby and Matt couldn't believe how much space they had on all the floors. They had paused on the main renovations now that the baby's due date was so close but they had actually completed the carpet replacement and painting in all the bedrooms, finished the bulk of the kitchen (although they weren't totally unpacked in there yet), and completed the renovations on the upstairs bathroom so they were more than comfortable living in their home while they planned the future renovations that they would eventually do when they weren't on such a time constraint. The only thing that was a bummer for them with the new house was not getting to have Carson there with them yet. There were too many unfinished places left for her to get lost or hurt at the house so she was staying with Antonio until they felt more comfortable with the renovating process to bring her home. They visited her as much as possible but they really missed their sweet cat and were anxious to bring her home in a few weeks.

Gabby smiled at the walls as she looked around her son's nursery. They had gone with a train theme for the room and the pictures she'd just put up on this wall were cartoon versions of an engine, three train cars, and the caboose of the train that were placed above where the changing table was to be placed when it was put together. There were four other pictures that they'd gotten for the other walls and Gabby couldn't help smiling at how adorable they looked now that they were all in the room. They had wanted their son's nursery to be warm, cheerful, and adorable and she thought they had more than succeeded with their train themed furnishings and decor. They were still missing some of the furniture in there but Matt had insisted on making all of it which had taken a backseat during all the house preparation. Now that they were actually in their home, he was frantically finishing the big items downstairs and since Gabby was now done hanging the pictures, she picked up the tool box and headed downstairs to see how he was doing.

Matt was on the main floor deep in thought as he stared at his son's crib. Something seemed off as he looked at the completed crib in front of him and it was few moments before he finally realized that one of the wheels was crooked which is why the crib didn't look right. He leaned the crib against the wall so he could fix the wheel and once that was done, he sat the crib upright again and smiled at the fact that it now looked correct. Matt had been very insistent on making their son's nursery furniture himself but the process had been way more stressful on him than he thought it would be. The crib alone took more planning than he'd thought it would take but eventually, things started coming together and once they got settled into their new house, everything came together much quicker. He looked around at the changing table, bookcase, wall shelves, and dresser that sat around the crib and sighed with relief that all of it was finally complete.

Gabby watched from the stairway as her husband smiled at the furniture all around him and smiled quietly to herself. He was a very critical man when it came to construction work so to see him happy with his work made her heart warm and fuzzy. She came into the room and walked over to Matt with the toolbox. She smiled as she gave it back to him, "Pictures are up and just waiting for the furniture now."

"It's finally ready to go," Matt said as he took the toolbox from her and draped his arm around her shoulders. He cocked his head and gave her a quizzical look, "Does everything look all right?"

"Babe, it looks amazing," Gabby said as she wrapped an arm around his waist and gave him her patented exasperated look. He smiled back at her with relief and leaned over to give her a kiss on the forehead. Gabby rested her head on his shoulder and then looked up at him, "You did an amazing job Matt and if I wasn't so exhausted right now, I'd probably be crying with how wonderful this all looks. Our son is getting spoiled already and he's not even here yet!"

Matt laughed but nodded at his wife. He pulled her close before replying, "That's not entirely our fault though. All our friends, our firehouse family, the crew at headquarters, and your friends at the academy have all contributed to that too. We probably have more stuff than we could ever use for this little guy but it definitely made life easier for us while we were busy moving and renovating the house."

"That's so true," Gabby said as she stood up straight again and gave her rumbled shirt a tug back into place. "We should probably get all this stuff upstairs so it can be ready to go before it gets dark outside. Then we can relax for a bit tonight and take inventory of what all we have left to do. I think my list of reno items is in the family room somewhere."

"Sounds like a great plan to me," Matt replied as he looked outside briefly. "Why don't I order some pizza for us so it can be here when we get done moving everything?"

"Perfect," Gabby replied with a smile. "And now that we have our big working fridge, you can order a little extra because it finally has somewhere to go."

Matt laughed and nodded at his wife. Their big fridge hadn't be delivered until the previous week so they'd lived in their house for over two weeks with just a small fridge that barely held anything, their toaster oven, and a microwave that they had borrowed from Severide. It was much better having a completely functioning kitchen even if it wasn't unpacked or finished yet. The plumbing worked and they finally had their new appliances which was all they needed in there for now.

While Gabby grabbed the shelves to put on the walls of the nursery, Matt went into the kitchen to order their dinner. She had measured and put the mounts in for the shelves before she put up the pictures and she was curious if she'd measured everything right. As she placed the three shelves up on the walls, she smiled and gave herself an imaginary pat on the back because all three of them went on to the walls perfectly in the end. She returned to the main level a little while later to help Matt carry the crib, changing table, dresser, and bookcase up to the nursery and was pleased to see how well it all fit in the room. They still had a rocking chair and ottoman to put in the room but those were on order and wouldn't be arriving until the following week.

Gabby stood back to look at their son's nursery for a moment and found herself getting emotional. It was becoming more and more real every day that they were soon going to be parents and every so often, she found herself teary with anticipation and anxiety about this upcoming event they'd been looking forward to for a long time. Matt came up behind her and put his arms around her waist while snuggling into her shoulder. He gave her a smile and a comment that made her heart melt, "Your day is almost here babe, just like Herrmann said it would be years ago, and I can't wait for us to meet our little miracle."

* * *

A week later, Gabby was sitting sideways on the couch with her legs over Matt's lap while deep into a recent thriller novel she'd picked up at the library while Matt was enjoying finally getting to watch a Blackhawks game. They'd finally gotten their internet, cable, and phone set up at the new house and Matt was ecstatic to finally be able to catch up with his hometown hockey team. Gabby looked up briefly to watch him for a moment and couldn't help smiling. He was SO into the hockey game that he was unintentionally giving her feet a really nice massage just from the stress of the game being tied at that moment. She made a mental note to move her legs if the Hawks got close to scoring a goal so she could save her feet from any pain.

Matt's phone started ringing just as the Hawks missed taking the lead in the game and he groaned as he picked it up to see who was calling him. He suddenly turned the TV down and startled Gabby as he threw her legs off his lap. He turned to her with wide eyes and said, "Its Landon…" and Gabby immediately sat up straighter, marked her spot, and shut her book.

Matt answered his phone, "Hey Landon. What's up? Wait, now? Is everything okay? Okay, right. We're on our way now." As Matt hung up the phone, his next words sent excited chills down Gabby's back, "It's time!"

Gabby and Matt went to the nursery to grab the baby bag that they'd prepared for their newborn along with two overnight bags from their bedroom and headed quickly out of their house. As they got on the road and Gabby started panicking that they would miss their son being born, Matt calmed her down by letting her know that Lila and Landon weren't even at the hospital themselves yet because Lila's water had just broken that night. Gabby remained nervous and antsy as they continued making their way towards Chicago Med. They'd waited for so long to have their own child and they were finally going to realize that dream. Gabby found herself scared, excited, breathless, but also extremely anxious about what was going to happen for them soon. Matt noticed her anxiety and reached out to take her hand and give it a squeeze. She looked over at him and immediately felt herself become calmer. He always had a way of making her feel better without even saying a word and that night was no exception. He continued to hold her hand as they approached the city and eventually parked quickly at Med.

Gabby and Matt were directed to Lila's room by the charge nurse and rushed down the hallway of the maternity ward. Once they arrived at her room, they were greeted by Landon with warm hugs and by Lila with hugs in between contractions. Gabby gave Lila a much longer hug and felt herself getting emotional as she once again thanked Lila for giving them such an amazing miracle with their baby boy. Lila felt herself getting emotional as she saw how much this whole thing meant to Gabby and the two women shared a long look of understanding and respect. There was definitely a strong bond of friendship between them now that they knew they would never have with anyone else. Lila gave Gabby a pat on the back and then was distracted by another contraction. Matt and Gabby went to the far side of the bed while Landon helped his wife through her contraction.

Lila's contractions lasted well into the night and around 4 AM, she was finally ready to head to the delivery room. Gabby and Matt were prepped with scrubs so they could be ready for when their son was born and they never left Lila's side as she went through the rest of the labor process. Gabby was tightly holding Lila's hand until Dr. K told them that the baby was coming so she and Matt moved to watch their son being born. The entire process was almost a blur to the couple but after several rounds of pushing, their precious baby boy was finally born and Dr. K couldn't stop smiling as she placed the newborn in Gabby's arms as Matt looked on in awe. Their son was finally here and no one in the room could take their eyes off the couple as they took in the sight of their little miracle.

Gabby and Matt had fallen in love with their little boy the minute they saw him. He looked so much like Matt did when he was a little boy but his eyes were shaped like Gabby's and when he finally opened them, they noticed they were a deep brown, just like his mom's eyes. Gabby and Matt couldn't stop the tears from flowing as they enjoyed finally getting to meet their son and as Gabby continued cradling the little boy in her arms, Matt laid a gentle kiss on his son's forehead and then on his wife's cheek as he continued to process the fact that he was finally a father. Eventually, the nurse needed to take the baby away to make sure everything was all right so Gabby reluctantly gave him up. She looked over at Matt and after seeing her own emotions mirrored all over his face, she leaned into his arms so they could share a warm hug. Their journey to parenthood had finally arrived and there was no one in the world she wanted to go on this adventure with more than the man standing with her in that moment.

* * *

Gabby and Matt chatted with Lila and Landon in her private room while the hospital checked over their little boy and made sure everything was okay with him. The couple was so appreciative of what Lila had done for them that they couldn't stop thanking and hugging her. Lila was emotional and exhausted but so happy that they were finally seeing their dream of becoming parents happen for real. That moment was worth every single stress and pain that she'd endured throughout the pregnancy. Gabby and Matt were touched when Lila and Landon gave them a book of advice and words of wisdom about parenthood that they'd collected and written out over the months of her pregnancy. The two couples promised to stay in touch and made plans for dinner in a few weeks once Lila was feeling better and Gabby and Matt got more settled into life as new parents.

The hospital eventually moved Gabby and Matt into their own private room on the maternity floor so they could enjoy some quiet time with their newborn son. They weren't able to take him home quite yet but they would be able to spend time with him there so the hospital prepared a room for them so that they could all be comfortable. The couple took some time to clean up, change clothes, and get something to eat and eventually, a nurse brought their little boy in to spend some time with his excited parents.

Gabby and Matt took turns holding their little guy and marveling over how much he looked like both of them. Eventually they ended up sitting together on the bed with Matt holding the baby and Gabby sitting to his left and resting her head on his shoulder while she looked at the newborn cradled in Matt's right arm. They would have been content to stay that way for a while but eventually she looked up at Matt with a question, "Um, I think this little guy needs a name. We've been struggling with names for months but we really need to decide something now. Do you have any ideas now that we're finally seeing him for the first time?"

"Honestly," Matt began as he looked at the sleeping baby in his arms, "I came to the hospital last night still not sure about a name. I mean, we'd come up with all sorts of names over the last few months, pretty much since we knew we were having a son, but nothing felt right to me."

"So, what are we going to do?" Gabby said with concern on her face. "I'm at a loss too. Maybe we should name him after someone…I love the idea of our son sharing the name of someone who was important to us. It would carry so much meaning."

Matt thought about it for a minute and then looked over at Gabby with a smile. He suddenly thought of a name that he thought she might like too. He grinned as he offered up a new suggestion, "How about Andrew? Andy Darden was the first friend I ever made in the CFD and he and his family have meant a lot to both of us over the years."

Gabby gave him a big smile and looked down at their little boy. She reached out to gently stroke her son's cheek before turning back to Matt, "I love that name. This little guy definitely looks like an Andrew and you're right, the Dardens are such a big part of our history both together and apart. I think that's a wonderful choice."

"Andrew Casey," Matt said with a smile. He liked the sound of that name and before he could think of a middle name went with it, his wife offered up one of her own that he knew was even more perfect.

"Andrew…Brett…Casey?" Gabby asked with a slightly teary look in her eyes. Matt gave her a small smile and his look softened as he leaned over to gently share a kiss with her. Somehow it just seemed perfect for their son to carry the names of two wonderful people who had meant so much to each of them but weren't with them to share in their parenthood journey. As they continued to sit and stare in wonder at their new little boy, they wondered what the future held next for them and little Andrew.

* * *

 _***And now you know how Andrew Casey came into the world and how Dawsey handles the whole process of becoming parents for the first time. I really hope this chapter was enjoyable for you guys, I'm SO sorry again that it took me so long to write it, and thanks once again for all the support! =)_


	12. Chapter 12

**Luckiest Souls**

 _Thanks so much for your continued support and love for this story, and I owe you all a huge apology for taking so long to get back to it. I'm not gonna lie…I lost some of my passion for Dawsey after hearing about some of the things that the show was doing to Casey (don't get me started on the square peg in the round hole story that they seem to be toying with regarding Casey and Brett…). I still wanted to tell the rest of this story, I have it all laid out, but the show's decisions had left a bad taste in my mouth (and I wasn't even watching at the time so I can't imagine how horrible I would have felt if I was actually seeing it). Things changed when Monica decided to come back for the fall finale though and we were treated to the BEST GIFT EVER of Dawsey reuniting for the first time since Gabby left and them sharing a wonderful evening together. Monica and Jesse still have chemistry that's off the charts and seeing the show make that decision gave me some hope that all is not lost for our couple after all. I have no idea where they're gonna go from here but just the fact that the show took the time to remind everyone how awesome these two are together, well that changed everything for me and I finally found my passion for writing again. So, all that said, here is the next chapter of this story (fittingly, it's a Christmas chapter) and I promise that I won't be gone that long again. I can't promise quick updates, but I do promise that there will be way less time between them in 2020! Thanks again for all the reviews and comments (I've read them all) and I hope you enjoy this festive chapter for our favorite couple! =)_

* * *

 _ **December 2023**_

Gabby was staring at the open refrigerator door unsure of what else she needed to put out for appetizers. She pulled out the cheese and meat plate and the three dips they had for the chips and pretzels and finally shut the fridge door. She arranged all the items on their kitchen island and smiled as the appetizer spread finally looked complete. She took a quick look around and sighed as she felt the anticipation grow inside her again.

She didn't know why she was so nervous. It wasn't like they were entertaining strangers that day…it was her and Matt's families who they'd spent time with umpteen times over the years. This day was going to be different for them though. They would be celebrating Christmas with everyone at their new house for the first time and for Gabby, having her divorced parents in the same room was slightly nerve-wracking. Matt was also anxious about spending time with his mom because they weren't particularly close anymore and he didn't see her all that much now that she had moved out of the area. Their entire families had never been in the same room together either, so they weren't sure what to expect from this day. On top of all that, it was also their first Christmas as a family of three, Andrew's first Christmas, so she wanted everything to be perfect.

She moved into the dining room and looked around their home. It had taken a while for them to finish all the renovating that they had planned back when they bought the house almost a year ago, but things were finally done now and their house looked like a winter wonderland. Gabby had insisted on having a Christmas tree in their front window on the main floor (so that people driving by could see their tree in addition to the lights that Matt had insisted on putting on their house) but they also had a tree in their family room which is where they had put all the presents. Gabby had found other Christmas decorations for the rest of the house in addition to some Christmas platters, silverware, bowls, and plates that they would be using for dinner that evening. The house now looked like a comfortable home and just seeing how much they'd been able to do in the last year, in addition to having Andrew join their family, made Gabby feel so proud of her and Matt.

Gabby smiled again as she thought back over the last nine months. Their little guy was such a joy to be around and had brought so much happiness into their life. He still had deep brown eyes from his mom and the lopsided grin and blond hair of his daddy, but he also had an energy and playfulness that reminded everyone of both of his parents. Anytime that Gabby had brought Andrew to see Matt at CFD headquarters, pretty much the entire office came running to see him and he loved all the attention. He only cried when he was hungry or missed his afternoon nap, but most of the time, he was a smiling, bouncing ball of happiness and loved being around people. Gabby smiled as she suddenly heard him laughing and babbling about something. She looked towards the staircase and wondered what goofy thing Matt was doing to entertain their son.

Finally satisfied that the food and decorations were ready for their families to get there, Gabby decided head up to Andrew's room to check on her entertaining boys and see what they were up to there. She stepped over a sleeping Carson, she was never too far away from the food, and headed upstairs to the nursery and the sight that greeted her there gave her a warm rush of emotions.

Matt was standing at the changing table sweetly talking to their almost nine-month-old son and Andrew was giggling and gurgling over every single word while looking up at his dad like he was the best thing in the world. They were adorable together and it always took her breath away when she got to see her husband enjoying his dream of being a father. Gabby stood at the door watching them until Andrew happened to notice her in the doorway and called out, "Mama!"

"Hey babe," Matt said as he picked up a freshly changed Andrew, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to enjoy watching my husband and son be all adorable together," Gabby said with a smile as she came over to give each of them a kiss. Andrew grinned at his mom and said "Mama!" again. Matt gave his son and wife a wry smile. Andrew was still working on some words and while Mama had come pretty quickly, they hadn't gotten him to say Dada yet, a fact not lost on Matt.

"You know he's doing this on purpose now," Matt said with a laugh. "He just looks up at me with that adorable grin and keeps saying 'Mama' instead of 'Dada'. He must be doing this on purpose. I refuse to believe that he loves you more than me at this point although I guess that's possible."

"Well, I am home with him more and I do give him his food most days so that could be true," Gabby said with a laugh. Matt gave her a playful swat as they headed back to the main floor of their house. "Come on Matt, you know your son adores you and I think he's gonna say that word to you when he's good and ready and not a second sooner."

"I hope you're right," Matt said with a smaller smile. "That would be a great Christmas present. What do you say buddy? Dada?"

"Mama!" Andrew said once again, and Gabby and Matt couldn't help laughing with him. He was turning out to be just as ornery as both of his parents. The two of them shook their heads and smiled as their son continued to grin and babble while resting comfortably in his father's arms.

* * *

Matt left the craziness of the family room to answer their front door laughing at how loud their house had become once their families began to arrive. Antonio and his kids had been there for a little while and were giving Andrew all sorts of attention. Gabby's mother Camilla had also arrived and was enjoying time with all her grandchildren. Matt's sister Christy and his niece Violet had also arrived and were chatting with Gabby while watching the excitement around them. Carson, their usually ornery and friendly cat, had gone into hiding because there were too many people in the house for her at that moment. Gabby's father hadn't arrived yet, but Matt had a suspicion that the person at the door was Ramon. He got a little nervous thinking about the many times that Gabby's parents had tried to communicate and get past their problems over the last few years and it never ended well.

Matt confirmed that it was, in fact, Ramon at the front door and opened it up while trying to hide the nervous smile on his face. He greeted his father in law with what he hoped was a happier smile and a pleasant hello and Ramon gave the younger man a boisterous hug which took Matt by surprise. Ramon hadn't had the easiest time since the divorce (even spending some time living with Gabby and Matt several years ago) but life had been going better for him and it showed with his animated greeting at the front door. The older man had four shopping bags on the porch with him and Matt helped Ramon bring them into the house.

"I might have gone a little overboard with presents this year," Ramon said laughing as he walked into his son-in-law's house. "I've been fortunate having good work this year though and just wanted to share that with my family including my new grandson."

Matt smiled and patted him on the arm while relaxing a bit. He headed towards the family room while saying, "That's great Ramon. I'm glad that you could be here for Andrew's first Christmas and our first one in our new house. Antonio and the kids are downstairs and Gabby's very excited to see you."

The two men walked down the stairs and Ramon was greeted by Eva and Diego along with receiving a handshake from Antonio and a big hug from Gabby. Camilla greeted her ex-husband with a pleasant but brief hug which made Gabby feel more confident that her parents might actually be able to coexist in the same room for one day. Christy and Violet introduced themselves to Ramon and he greeted them with a smile and more handshakes. Matt put the shopping bags near the Christmas tree and then picked up his son who was suddenly alone on the floor and looked confused as to why he wasn't the center of attention anymore. The baby smiled at his daddy as he picked him up and then let out an adorable gurgle which caused more laughter from everyone else. Matt caught Gabby's eye for a brief moment, and they shared a look of relief that the afternoon with their families just might be all right after all.

* * *

Gabby put the finishing touches on the buffet of food that she and Matt had carefully prepared for their Christmas dinner and smiled as she felt her husband come up behind her and slip his arms around her waist. She gently rested her hands on his arms and leaned into his embrace while sharing a quiet moment of alone time amidst the holiday madness at their house. After giving her neck a quick kiss, Matt sighed and gave her waist a squeeze. He could tell she was still tense and unsure of how things were going with everyone.

"So far, so good," he said as they stood together, "Your parents have been pleasant to one another, Antonio hasn't threatened to punch your father, the kids have behaved, Andrew is still happy, and my mom hasn't caused a ruckus of any kind. I'm calling that a win right now."

"There's still time for anything to happen," Gabby said laughing as she turned slightly towards him, "I'm not relaxing quite yet. We still have to get through dinner and dessert, and I know all the adults will be having wine too so we should still have our guard up for now."

"Copy that," Matt said laughing with her. The two of them shared a smile and then went down to the family room to let the others know that dinner was ready. Gabby picked up Andrew as everyone headed towards the kitchen to get food and the baby gave her a little whine to remind her that he wanted to eat too. She gave her son a quick kiss and as the others finished filling up their plates and heading to the dining room table, Gabby filled up a plate for herself and a smaller one for Andrew. She joined everyone else at the table and put her son in his highchair so he could enjoy having dinner with the rest of his family. She took her seat next to Matt, Andrew's highchair settled between them, as everyone began eating their dinner.

The conversation flowed easily and comfortably as everyone enjoyed the meal together. Gabby had kept the menu simple (sandwiches, southwest salad, and an assortment of appetizers) but everyone complimented her for the choices she'd made and almost everyone went back for seconds. Everyone seemed to be having a nice time together and Gabby and Matt spent more time listening than talking as their families shared what was going on in their lives.

The kids all talked about the fun things they'd gotten to do over their Christmas breaks. Christy had started working at a new job and was happy to report that things were going well. Nancy was now living in St. Louis and had a great job helping recently paroled people get reacclimated to the outside world. Camilla was volunteering at a homeless shelter and shared some stories of the wonderful things they'd done for the holidays there. Antonio was still working with the Intelligence Unit and mentioned being able to finally solve a cold case for a family and give them some peace for the holidays. Ramon shared more about his recent job success and how appreciative he was for having a supportive manager and a positive work environment.

Gabby and Matt were content to listen to everyone share about their lives but were eventually asked how things were going with them, so they shared about their jobs, their adventures with Andrew, and how much they were enjoying their new home. The warmth of family and comfortable atmosphere settled over the house and the Casey and Dawson families enjoyed the rest of the evening together while opening presents, eating dessert, sharing some wine, and laughing about the excitement in their newest family member's eyes as Andrew took in all the festivities around him.

Later in the evening, Gabby and Matt slipped away to put a sleepy Andrew to bed while the others continued their conversations and festivities in the family room. Carson had moved into her usual evening spot underneath the crib, she was very protective of Andrew and usually slept in his room, and she seemed calmer now that she'd gotten used to all the people in the house. Gabby changed Andrew's diaper while Matt got the crib ready for him. He started the music player and set the timer so the music would eventually turn off on its own. Andrew loved listening to music, and they found that listening to it helped get him to sleep easier when he was over tired from a busy day. Andrew let out a big yawn as Gabby brought him over to the crib. The little guy was worn out from all the presents, excitement, and laughter from their families, but he was still smiling even through all his exhaustion. Gabby gave her sweet son a big kiss while telling him how much she loved him and as Matt leaned in to give Andrew a hug and kiss before they put him into his crib, the little boy gurgled briefly before giving Matt a wonderful Christmas present.

He looked up at his father, gave him a big smile, and finally said, "Dada."

* * *

 _I hope you enjoyed reading about the Caseys first Christmas as a family of three! I'm SO sorry again that it took me so long to write this chapter, and thanks once again for all the support! =)_


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